


Once Upon A Time in the Falls

by SerenaDusk



Series: The Falls Chronicles [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alain is adorable, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Reverse Falls (Gravity Falls), Alternate Universe - Royal Falls (Gravity Falls), Asshole Bill Cipher, Bill and Will hate eachother, Bill does some decent things, Bill has a crush, Brothers, F/M, Fiddleford has some sass, Fiddleford is a knight, Fidds is smarter than ford, Ford Pines is a Jerk, Ford is a wizard, Ford should know better, Gen, Human Bill Cipher, Love Triangles, M/M, More tags later, Renamed Characters, Rivalry, Stanford and Stanley have issues, Stanford and WIll are married, Stanford is king, Stanford isn't completely bad, Tad has too much patience, Twins, William is a good prince, William is prince, William loves animals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 47,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26318320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaDusk/pseuds/SerenaDusk
Summary: Ford Pines, recently graduated from magic school, is invited to the mysterious kingdom of Gravity Falls. Once there, he finds out that the stories people tell about the place aren't completely accurate, leaving him very frustrated. But Ford wouldn't be Ford if he didn't vouch to get to the bottom of this. He might be in over his head though.
Relationships: Bill Cipher/Ford Pines, Fiddleford H. McGucket/Ford Pines, Will Cipher | Reverse Bill Cipher/Ford Gleeful | Reverse Ford Pines
Series: The Falls Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2003098
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. Stranger on the Lands

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the beginning of Royal Falls! A whole new AU, created by me, with a bit of help from several members of the Arising Fans Discord. And when I say a bit of help, I mean that I very much value their input and ideas! There is a chance that this story will not be limited to paper only! Check the notes for updates, and don't be shy to comment!

**Fresh out of school.**

Ford Pines put the final bags and trunks in the carriage that would take him further away from his parental home than he had ever been before. It was the only regret he had; to be leaving so soon after coming back home as a graduated mage. Or wizard, or sorcerer. He preferred mage because he had figured out that ‘mage’ was the least suspicious term. He already attracted more than enough attention with the extra finger on each hand. It had baffled his teachers; they had never seen someone shoot six bolts of lightning with one hand before. Who would have thought that the kid who used to play alone, shunned by everyone for being a ‘devil’s child’ with his extra fingers, would one day leave the small village as ‘Master Pines’, invited to Gravity Falls, where magic was not only accepted, it was the norm. The same kids who used to bully him, threw mud at him when he was alone, and gave him dirty looks when he was with his twin brother, now walked out of their houses to gaze at the carriage that had come to collect him. Yes, collect him. He tried very hard to not be gloating too much when he saw the stares of the people, for once not because they hated him, but because they were jealous. But when he gave his mother a hug, she whispered in his ear: “Wipe that smile from your face, my dear. I’d almost say you aren’t going to miss me.” Ford looked at her with big eyes. “Of course, I will miss you, mother. Without you, I would have never gone to the Academy at all.” He answered, and she smiled, wiggling her eyebrows. “Cheap tricks, my son. Make us proud.”

Ford smiled back; he would miss home. His father was next, a man of few words and even less affection, and today was worse than ever. A handshake, a respectful nod, and a few quick words, that was all. “Have you heard anything from Stanley?” The mage asked, but his father shook his head. “He has travelled west, that is all we know. You might meet him on the journey. Have a safe travel, son.” That was all his father had to say. Ford nodded, not knowing what else there was to say. “You should visit someday soon.” He mumbled, rubbing his neck. “Master Pines, we have to leave now if we want to reach the tavern before sunset.” The charioteer was getting impatient, and the mage looked up. “I will write.” He then said, getting in the carriage and settling on the remarkably soft seat. Clearly the people wanted him to have a comfortable journey. Ford smiled when he felt how the horse started walking. He gave one more wave to his parents but didn’t give the rest of the people a single look. He was on his way to a new life, and he would leave them far behind him. They couldn’t hurt him anymore. He would actually make something of his life, while most of the others would never even leave the village. They would go their entire life serving the same lord, while Ford, with a bit of luck, would dine with kings. His parents, they would see the results of his hard work, share in his success. The rest could only dream of it. Had they ever showed remorse for what they put him through, he would have considered putting his unique abilities to work, helping them out with their mundane problems. But they never did, and they would come to regret it. Had Ford known what the future would bring, he would probably have cherished those simple, fixable problems of the small village he grew up in.

But the mage’s head was filled with the prospect of adventures, tasks actually worthy of his powers. And while a diploma of magic school did not sound so great, at least a lot less amazing than the accomplishment actually was, he took pride in that certificate, and very much looked forward to actually proving he was worthy of it. Of course, the exams had already proved that, but that was only for his teachers. Now it was time to prove the rest of the world, show them what he could do. Let the hard work pay off. And what better place to start than what appeared to be the world’s capital of magic energy? He had heard about the kingdom at school, obviously. Apparently, something about that kingdom had caused the place to inhabit an abundance of people with magic abilities of any sort. Ford wondered what it was, how it came that out of all kingdoms, that one sprouted so much magic. And even more so, why it was that despite the fact there were so many of them, he had no classmates from that realm. In fact, never in the history of the Academy did they have a student from Gravity Falls. Of course, that weird fact had started many rumours amongst the students, but Ford usually kept away from that. As his teachers said: ‘rumours are as reliable as potions without label.’ And that was a philosophy Ford tried to maintain.

Yet he couldn’t help but fantasize about the reason, about what he would find once he would cross the border. Maybe they had their own schools, or maybe the reputation of the Gravity Falls Mages was very exaggerated over time. Outside that kingdom, someone who accurately predicted the weather with the help of a crystal ball was already considered a wielder of magic, while that was often sheer luck. Ford reminded himself that in the village, his own mother was sometimes considered a witch, simply due to the fact she knew her way around herbs, and a few very basic spells. But he didn’t complain, her contacts had helped him get into the academy after all. His father would have preferred if he had learned how to use a sword, but eventually gave in and let him go. And once the mage had actually learned how to properly channel his abilities and successfully use spells, his father had sure seen the possibilities that came with having a mage in the house. Ford’s thoughts wandered off to the rare days he got to spend back home while studying at the Academy. His father’s requests to reinforce weapons and fences were very entertaining, and a good way to practice focus, but they weren’t really what he hoped to be doing for the rest of his life. He always had this idea that he was meant for something bigger, more important. And then that letter from Gravity Falls had arrived for him. How jealous his classmates had been, and the people in his home village even more so. Ford smiled again; he couldn’t help himself. The mage was proud. Proud that his hard work had paid off, proud that his talents were being recognized, and proud that he proved everyone who ever bullied him that they were wrong.

The only regret he had was the fact his brother wasn’t there to say goodbye to him. Ford felt a mix of anger and regret actually. Regret over the fact he wasn’t there for Stanley to stop him from ruining his life, but also anger because of course Stan couldn’t wait with getting in trouble until Ford was actually gone. Two months too early did his rebellious brother decide he had enough with the tax policy of the lord who was in charge, two months before Stanford came home as a certified mage did Stan get himself banished from the village. He was probably out of the kingdom by now, or so Ford hoped. Stanley would be safer in another kingdom, since most kings did not care about those put in exile by other kings. As long as Stan stayed out of trouble, he could live a good life elsewhere. Ford sighed, his brother was strong, but stubborn as a mule, and it had gotten him in trouble before. The mage knew very well that hoping Stan would stay out of trouble and find an honest job was most likely in vain. Who knew, maybe Ford would hear something about him in the taverns he would stay at. After all, the horse would not be able to travel the distance without rest. It was a journey of days, if not weeks. And teleportation magic did not have a place in his variety of abilities. No, the journey would have to go the old-fashioned, human way. With a horse and this carriage. Ford took a book from the satchel he had with him. His thoughts were starting to run in circles, which wasn’t useful. He should use his time on the road to read up on the little information the outside world had about Gravity Falls.

The journey itself proved to be fairly uneventful, so it was good to read about his future home kingdom. There wasn’t a lot known about the place, besides the presence of unusual amounts of magic energy. Almost everything written about the realm was unconfirmed and suspected. He had no idea if the stories about dragons, unicorns, and even weirder creatures were even true at all. Ford thought about the possibility he wouldn’t find anything out of the ordinary in the mysterious kingdom. But then it again, it was just that: mysterious. Was it really possible that everything people had ever said about that kingdom was a lie? Or simply drunken tales of people who should have put the mead down hours ago? It seemed unlikely, and they did ask for him specifically. So no, Gravity Falls had to be at least somewhat like the stories he read about. And what he found about the place only made him more excited to get there, to hear what they wanted him for exactly. The letters he received spoke of research about magic. From what he could tell, the people there were skilled in many different ways. That was not that strange; even at the Academy, there were many different kinds of students. Everyone learned the basics, but it didn’t take long before everyone enrolled into their own classes. There was no way to know someone’s limits beforehand, no way to tell how strong someone would get with enough training. Now that he thought of it, it was likely that Gravity Falls indeed had their own Academy of some sort.

“Master Pines, we have reached the last tavern. I hope you have not gotten tired of speaking with the common folk.” The charioteer interrupted his thoughts and he looked up from his book. About time they got to the last tavern. One more night on the road, and tomorrow he would finally reach his destination. He knew that this tavern, also known as the ‘halfway house’, served as some sort of meeting point. It was only a mile away from the border, and it was the only place where people from outside Gravity Falls had the chance of meeting some of the actual folk. “As normal as they get, so close to the kingdom.” Ford answered and stuck his head out the window. The building was strange, the door was much wider and higher than what he was used to from the other establishments they had stayed at on the journey. If the charioteer had not warned him, he wouldn’t have recognized it as a tavern at all. “You are right, Master Pines. Most folk we will see in that Halfway House are from my home kingdom. They won’t be so normal.” The man chuckled and hopped off the carriage with an elegance that surprised Ford every time. The two travellers entered the building together, and the mage was already bracing himself to be stared at. It happened every night, and it was his least favourite part of the evening. Usually the staring stopped by the time he got his meal, but still. Today however, things would be different. Nobody was staring at him, or his companion. The other guests simply looked up, gave a nod, and returned to their conversations. Ford was taken aback but preferred this over the strange looks he had gotten so far.

When they sat in a booth and the owner came over, the charioteer simply ordered them both a beer and the meal of the day. Ford didn’t mind but did suddenly realize something. “You were born in Gravity Falls, but you seem human.” His voice soft, no need to alert anyone. The other chuckled. “Master Pines, we have been on the road for weeks and you haven’t even asked my name. You were far too occupied with being stared at.” He replied, and the mage went red. “The name is Tenney Strange. I might be the most normal person you will meet in a very long time.” Tenney didn’t seem to mind. “Gravity Falls has very few ordinary people. I am one of them, which is why they ask me to collect people from other kingdoms. I am often sent out as herald too, and the only one to visit other kingdoms often, because I do not get stared at.” His eyes lingered on Ford’s extra fingers for a second. The mage frowned; he didn’t like getting stared at. “I apologize, Master Pines. I am used to unusual sights from my own kingdom, but it always a pleasure to meet them somewhere else. I can assure you that you will feel at home in Gravity Falls. The owner brought them a meal, and Tenney looked up. “Back again with a new face I see.” He commented, and the charioteer nodded. “This is Stanford Pines, invited by the council of mages, to come strengthen our ranks.”

The owner just nodded and left them to eat their meal in peace. He had more to do after all. Ford leaned over to Tenney. “What do you mean ‘strengthen our ranks’? I thought I would be working with different kinds of magic. It was vague, but I got the impression this was much more research related than battle. But what you just said worries me. I was not trained for battle.” He asked carefully, hoping there was some sort of misunderstanding. “Oh, I know. You will strengthen our ranks, but probably not the way you think. We’re not asking you to pick up a weapon. Our fights are not fought with weapons like that anyway. But I am not the right person to ask about that. You will meet the council soon, they can explain.” Tenney shrugged and didn’t explain further, not matter how much the mage asked. So eventually, Ford just moved on to another, but related, subject. “Why is Gravity Falls so closed off from the rest of the world?” He asked, taking a sip of his beer. “Oh, same reason you are eager to get there. Everywhere you go, people stare at you. In Gravity Falls, nobody gives it an extra look if you shoot flames out of your nostrils. All they do is tell you to keep a bucket of water around.” Tenney finished his food and leaned back. A few of the other guests came over to their table, but they seemed more interested in the charioteer than the mage. They asked for stories, leaving Ford to his own thoughts. The young mage wasn’t completely sure what all of this was about, but it seemed like he would have to find out on his own. He had to admit he was startled by the sudden change of tone now that they were so close to their destination.

That night in bed, Ford had trouble falling asleep. Tenney’s words came back to him. Mostly about his upcoming task, but for some reason the fact he didn’t learn the man’s name sooner also seemed stuck in his head. Why did it bother him so much? It was a simple mistake. Tenney was only there to get him to Gravity Falls anyway. He wasn’t a wielder, so it was unlikely that the mage would have a lot of contact with him later on, especially not if the man also acted as Herald. No, better to focus on what he would be working on. Ford tossed and turned a few times before finally falling asleep, dreaming of the unknown kingdom in front of him. His dreams were more confusing than usual, as if someone was messing them up. Not once did they turn into nightmares though, and Ford got a full night rest, which was welcome. He wanted to be sharp for the moment he would set foot in the kingdom for the first time. Gravity Falls was calling him, and even in his dreams it filled his mind. His only regret was that in none of the taverns on the journey did anyone know anything about Stanley.

The next morning, Ford woke up early, but not earlier than Tenney. While the charioteer was no wielder, his ability to get up at the crack of dawn every morning was a mystery of its own. “I have asked the owner if we can get breakfast as soon as possible, so that we can leave. So, if you are up, we can get going.” Tenney was fully dressed and just left the room, giving Ford the time, he needed. The mage rolled over, sat up, and grabbed a bundle he had brought from the carriage. It contained a new set of clothes, made by the tailor in his hometown. The charioteer was already suspecting Ford might want to dress up. They all did when coming to Gravity Falls for the first time. The man had seen a large variety of wizard robes over the years, and they got more ridiculous every time, in an attempt to impress the council of mages probably. So, when Ford came downstairs in a dark green tunic, black pants, and boots, covered with a relatively simple brown robe, he was surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but still. He had to admit it was a much better look than he had seen from other wielders over time. Ford had chosen this look for a reason. He would let his skills speak for themselves. He didn’t need a flashy robe to prove he was good at what he did. In his eyes, people who needed clothes to stand out weren’t worthy of the title of mage. And besides, he was one for practicality, and this was a lot more practical than any flashy, fancy robe a wizard could ever come up with.

After a quick breakfast they went on their way again, for the last time. Today they would reach their destination. Ford leaned back, smiling. “We are about to cross the border.” The charioteer warned him, and the mage took a deep breath. A few seconds later, he felt a shiver go down his spine. It was as if his senses suddenly got sharper. His sight got better, his ears picked up noises he had not been aware of before, new scents reached his nose, and he took another deep breath as the magic energy in the air fuelled him. “Now I know why nobody leaves.” He muttered to himself. He would imagine people who were born here would feel terrible if they left the kingdom. As if everything got blocked off all of a sudden. Tenney’s voice came from the front. “How are you holding up?” There was a mild concern in his voice, which Ford found a bit strange. “I feel fine, why do you ask?” The charioteer let out a chuckle. “The sensation of this place is very overwhelming for some people. I always make sure to ask if people have not lost their mind.” He explained, but it appeared that everything was fine, so they continued. Ford looked at his hands for a second, as if he was expecting to see a change there too, but everything was the same. And yet, the levels of power that lingered in the air was astounding. How did the people manage to not get consumed by this constant feeling? Of course, they were most likely used to it, but still. He wasn’t the first outsider to come to Gravity Falls. How many of them had gone insane?

It didn’t take long for Ford to shake the thoughts of the terrible consequences a place like this could have on people. If they let it get to them, that was their issue, not his. So instead, he shifted his thoughts towards the possibilities. He knew he would be stronger here, but when he asked Tenney about new kinds of magic he might be able to use, the charioteer shook his head. “No, you are still limited to the options you were born with. That is actually part of the reason why the council has invited you.” He answered and halted the carriage to give the horse one last break before they would reach their final destination. The mage got out and stretched. “What do you mean? With the number of wielders this kingdom is supposed to have, I didn’t think there was still a type that they didn’t have.” Ford assumed that was the reason they would specifically ask for him. Tenney only chuckled but didn’t comment. When the mage turned away, his smile faltered, and the charioteer rolled his eyes. What was that with mages and their superiority complex? Oh, if this kingdom was ran by humans instead of the council, they would have had far less issues. Or at least different issues than the constant bickering that was going on now. He loved his country, that wasn’t the issue, but sometimes he envied the people he met on his travels. Their simple lives, their biggest issue being the taxes of the local lords.

Tenney brushed off the horse and then they went on their way again. This forest was the last thing that separated Ford from his new life. His excitement was growing with every click of the horse’s hooves. A tingling in fingers made him look down and chuckle. Time to calm himself down, before he would accidentally scorch a hole in his new tunic. One of the very few downsides of being a wielder; the immense control it took to actually focus and control the power. The stronger someone was, the earlier it was often discovered, simply because kids had less control over their own emotions, and thus their powers. While thinking back about the many hours of meditation exercises with one of the professors, Ford managed to lessen the sparking of his fingers. The glow around them dimmed and went away as the mage forced himself to calm down. There would be time to explore the sensations of this kingdom at a later time. First, he would hear what it was that had caused the council of mages to invite him. What part of his abilities had caught their interest? He thought about the diploma in his bag. It classified him as a practical mage. He was an active wielder, who had mastered various kinds of magic. However, none of his abilities were typical for warfare. He would be able to assist, but not stand on the battlefield. His magic was much more useful when it came to progress, so maybe that was why they called him? Working to improve life for the people here? He was top of his classes in that field after all. It made sense for them to call him for that. Ford started overthinking the possibilities that came with a task like that. Of course, he would have to wait until he knew more specifics, but so far, it seemed very likely that he would be thinking in the line of research.

Those thoughts were interrupted when Tenney halted the horse again. “Master Pines, we have arrived. Unless you wish to freshen up before we go, I was told to bring you to the council right away. They have been meeting almost constantly for a long time now, so they should be able to see you immediately.” The charioteer spoke up and Ford got out of the carriage. “What about my things?” He asked Tenney, but the man waved his hand. “There are people for that. I am sure they already set up a house for you, so you don’t have to concern yourself with that. Just follow me, the sooner you know why you were called, the better, don’t you think?” Ford nodded at that, and then just followed the charioteer through a large building. The corridors reminded him of the ones from the castle of the lord back home. “Tenney, who is the ruler of Gravity Falls as of now?” He asked, speeding up a bit to walk next to the man. “The council is. They rule together, and it is a mess. This castle used to belong to our king, but he died without bringing us an heir, so the council took over. Not everybody agreed with it, but nobody had a better option. There were some other things offered, but those were equally bad as the solution we have now.” There was a bitter tone in Tenney’s voice when he answered.

About half an hour later, Ford had already seen and heard enough to know that the charioteer had been absolutely right. The situation as it was did not work at all. The council of mages consisted of several people, both men and women. They all had their ow set of skills. The mage didn’t even bother to learn all of their names. He disliked almost all of them immediately. All they did was cut eachother off, argue among themselves and just delay every decision they were trying to make. Ford didn’t like wasting his time like that, he just wanted to know why he was there in the first place. He sighed deeply, tapping his foot, trying to stop himself from rolling his eyes. From what he could understand, they all thought their area of magic was more important than the others, and they all wanted the final say. Very time-consuming, and he really had something better to do. Eventually he just interrupted them. “I am sure that what you have to say is very important, but this is dragging on, and I have my things to unpack.” He spoke up, and they all looked up, some annoyed, others confused, as if they had already forgot who he was. Just great, if he wasn’t even worth their time, what even would be worth his? This kingdom was amazing, at least that was what wielders from elsewhere always thought. But from what he could see here, he wasn’t impressed. Ford Pines turned around and paced out of the room, realizing he didn’t have to listen to this. He did not spend weeks on the road, just to listen to a lot of arguing of a bunch of mages that didn’t really impress him at all. If they couldn’t agree on what they needed him for, he had some ideas of his own, and he would just work on that until they would come to stop him.

Tenney met him again in the corridor. “And?” He asked, and Ford glared in the distance, keeping up a quick pace. “You are right: this does not work. But I have an idea to get rid of all of that.” He gestured in the direction he came from. The charioteer rolled his eyes, out of sight from Ford. They all thought they could fix it, and yet they all fell short in the end. “You’re going to fix our ruling system?” He asked, trying to keep the disbelief out of his voice. “And what is your plan to get it done?” Ford smirked and looked at Tenney. “They all want to be the best at everything? They all think they are more important than the others, well then. I will prove to them who is the best. Time to find out which type of magic is the most essential when it comes to ruling over a kingdom. Settle that argument once and for all, and maybe they will actually give me an explanation as to why they called me here in the first place.” The mage was very annoyed with the fact they couldn’t even stop fighting long enough to tell him that. He made the journey, the least they could do was actually pay attention to him for a second. But no, some stupid fight was more important. He missed the amused smirk on Tenney’s face as he continued to rant about them not giving him a moment of their time. The charioteer had seen this before, they all came out of that room frustrated and offended. Some of them left Gravity Falls immediately, some stuck around for longer, some tried to do something about it. They all failed. Tenney didn’t expect Ford to be any different. He would give up at some point, they all did, eventually. “Well, at least they remembered to have housing arranged for you. Come, I think you will love it. It’s very secluded.” The charioteer kept his tone down, wielders didn’t like being mocked, he knew that from experience. Ford perked up a bit and followed Tenney out of the castle. At last some decent news.

“Tenney, how is it possible that the council hasn’t collapsed already? If this is how they rule this kingdom, I would think everything would have come down long ago.” Ford was sorting his books on the shelves of his new house. The books were flying around, trying to find their spot, almost smacking that kid in the head. The mage had been mildly irritated to find an unknown boy in the living room of his designated house, but he had proven to be very helpful. “Corduroy, try to stay out of the line of fire.” Ford warned as the heavier spell books rose from the case they had been transported in. “Yes, master Pines.” The boy ducked out of the way when the heaviest of all landed with a smack on the stand right behind him. “Page 618, thank you.” Ford told the book, and it started to flip through the pages. Tenney was staring at it, there were times he envied the wielders, and this one of those moments. It just saved so much time. Ford didn’t seem to notice. He was way too caught up in getting settled. Dan Corduroy was young, but he came from a long line of lumberjacks with an eery talent of reinforcing wood, which was a valuable skill for a mage with more books than was necessary. “Thank you Corduroy, but it’s getting late, go home.” Ford told the kid, who took off almost immediately. The mage sighed in relief. Dan was helpful, but he didn’t like children that much. Way too undisciplined, and Dan was no exception.

Tenney put the final bags and cases away, then turned to the door. “You are all set for your research now. Time for me to go.” He mumbled; half relieved he was done with the mage. Ford seemed to have his heart in the right place, but it was coated in a very thick layer of arrogance at the moment. Perhaps that would lessen if he found out more about the kingdom. In the end, the mages were all the same. Nobody was the best, and they all thought they were. But nobody listened to someone who wasn’t even a wielder at all. Ford stopped him before he got out the door though. “Wait, I have a few practical things to ask you.” He settled in a chair. Tenney reluctantly did the same, he had an idea of what was to come. And indeed, Ford spread out a map of the kingdom Dan had given him and started asking about kinds of magic, if there were areas where a certain type was dominant, about the history of the kingdom, anything he needed to know. The charioteer was glad Ford remembered humans had to eat, but it still took him several weeks before the mage stopped sending him message orbs with more questions. “As if I have nothing better to do than make a mage familiar with the most magical kingdom in the world.” He muttered sarcastically after returning home from what he was quite sure was the last the last trip he would make to Ford’s house. At least until the mage decided he would give up and go home. Some of the locals were already making bets. Tenney had avoided the closest taverns, because he would be drowned in questions from people who wanted to know if Ford was getting desperate already. They all knew it was just a matter of time.

But they didn’t know Ford. They weren’t familiar with how stubborn he could be if he wanted to. How much he cared about being taken seriously. They underestimated his brain, and his lack of ability to back off. He had that urge to prove he was either right, or simply the only one able to do something. And when Tenney had told him that uniting the council of mages was simply impossible, he had ignited a fire in Ford’s head. A fire that would drive him through the desperation that made everyone who came before him quit, a fire that pushed him to stay up until deep in the night to study moon phases and the level of magic he could feel in his veins. The urge to solve this mystery was soaking into the very essence of his being over time. And days were passing steadily, and the locals were starting to believe that Ford wouldn’t just pack his things and leave. Tenney started to show his face in the tavern again, and while the townspeople asked him if he had already taken Ford back home again the first few times, those questions died out over time. Instead of whispering that Ford had given up when they didn’t see him around for a couple of days, they started going over to his house to check if he still had food. Slowly but surely, they started to feel something other than mockery about this foreigner who thought he could fix the council. Slowly, they started to feel hope. The rumours shifted from disbelief to hypothetical ideas of what this kingdom would turn into if Ford managed to succeed. What if the mage really found the solution? What if the Grand Unified Council would indeed become reality? What if they could actually go to the mages for help, and have them help? Would it help to bring change where it was needed, or would they get stuck in the same place, but with the full agreement that it was a problem? Either way, it seemed like an improvement to bring the council together, let them work as one. So, then the locals started glancing in the direction of Ford’s house with a different look. As if they pulled strength from the idea that someone was at least trying to making it right. And it was someone who wasn’t giving up.

The mage was slowly getting stuck though. He had started with the kinds of magic he could do himself. The telekinesis and spellcasting, things like that. But he knew there was a lot he couldn’t do, and he truly wanted to make a fair judgement. Ford was convinced that spellcasting in itself was a very important area, but it was such a trivial, basic way of channelling magic that he doubted that it could truly be called the most important. And he had to go through all the other types first, and preferably he would speak to the masters of those things themselves, but it still wouldn’t be the same thing as experiencing it. How could he be sure that what they told him was really the same thing, would they be able to convey the full extent of their abilities. Oh, if only he could wield every possible kind of magic. It would be so much easier, because he could just do all the work himself, and have the same person judging every type of wielding. But that was impossible, nobody ever mastered them all. Everyone had their limits, and even Ford had to submit to the laws of nature. Maybe he should just bring in a master of every area, let them describe their powers. A one on one investigation, even for the things he already covered. But that would mean weeks of work down the drain, which he also didn’t really like. The mage rubbed his eyes, trying to think of the best way to continue.

Ford’s struggles had not remained unnoticed. But not only the townspeople had realized the foreign mage had serious trouble moving forward. His thorough research had caused quite a stir on another plane of existence as well. Magic had its origin too after all, albeit a much more fluent one than most. And the origin of magic had its own realm so to speak. A realm inhabited by beings. Humans would call them demons, as they would see magic as some sort of unearthly fire. The creatures didn’t care. If they were to be called demons, they were fine with that. This one in particular, even owned up to the name most of the time. Bill Cipher had felt the shifts and spikes in the air around him from the moment Ford set foot in Gravity Falls. Oh, that kingdom, that blessed and cursed piece of land where magic seeped away from his home realm, into the world of humans. The result? A lot of chaos most of the time. Humans and magic were such a funny thing to see. They made sparks and call it a miracle, unaware of what they could truly do with what they had in their hands. But that wasn’t why Bill was watching so intently now. No, that was because of this newcomer. Ford Pines was strangely aware of the possibilities, it was almost admirable. Maybe this could be fun, and maybe this could put that kingdom straight. Not by solving the issues of the council, Bill didn’t care about them, no. A kingdom with so much magic should be ruled by someone who actually understood power. Someone who could actually utilize the energy. Someone who was one with magic. That wasn’t a human. Bill stretched casually, watching the mage through that astral window. Ford was reading a book, having three others floating near him, in case he needs them. Perfect.

Bill rose, and took a step forward, through the astral window. On the other side, he stumbled shortly and silently, glad to have appeared behind the mage. A human body, it had been a while. But it only took seconds before he remembered how to work with this. Once he was sure he would move smoothly, he leaned against the wall and smirked. “Do you really think your books will help you here? Help you with something nobody has managed before? That’s cute. But maybe you should try another source. Something other than what you find under a lot of dust.” He then spoke up.


	2. Too big of a bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ford meets a guide, promising the help he needs. But despite having studied magic for a while now, Ford might have taken up more than he can handle, at least alone. Perhaps some more help would be welcome, but he's going to have to ask for it. The mage is not really all that willing to admit he cannot do it alone though.

**New friends and old classmates.**

Ford had been staring at this newcomer for a while now, his hands almost constantly sparking, which didn’t really impress the other. Bill pushed himself away from the wall and circled the mage once, trying his hardest not to burst into laughter. Why did he stop doing this again? Humans got so delightfully confused whenever he showed his face anywhere. Combine that with the simply adorable tricks they called magic, and the entire situation amused him greatly. He managed to keep his expression blank enough for now though. There would be more than enough time for mockery later on. Right now, Bill just needed Ford to get over himself and actually open his mouth. Yes, he had appeared out of nowhere, but there were even humans who had mastered the art of travelling by magic, so that could hardly be called a good reason to be so tongue-tied. Perhaps it was something else? Something less substantial. The mage was smart, Bill knew that much, so it would be interesting to learn what Ford was actually thinking about, what impression he got so far.

But Ford needed time to get over this sudden appearance of a stranger in his house. Yes, he knew that there were humans who could do something like this. In fact, one of his close friends from the Academy had taken more advanced classes in this exact area of magic. But that was not the cause of his hesitation to let his guard down and actually answer the being. His eyes went over the figure, lingered on the odd shade of yellow that was his hair, the almost golden colour of his left eye, and the pitch-black right eye. This being couldn’t be human, no matter how much he attempted to look like one. For some reason, Ford wouldn’t be surprised if the person would grow horns, turn into a giant and crushed him to death. But none of that actually happened. Instead, the other laughed, clearly amused by the lack of speech. The sound made the mage snap out of his confused state though. “What are you?” He asked, and the other stopped laughing. “Would you believe that in an entire kingdom of magically gifted people, you’re the only person to ever ask that?” Bill answered, failing to remain unimpressed. Clearly, he had chosen the right person to keep an eye on. Not only was Ford smart, he had insight in things. And at the same time, his mind was so full of the promise of great deeds, that he was incredibly easy to influence. Bill loved this kind of people. They were great to toy with, and perhaps in more than one way. Ford certainly was a lot more pleasant than the last man he tried to talk to about this. The other had also proved to be utterly worthless. It didn’t look like this one would be another failure. Not at all.

The mage hid a smile when the other mentioned he was the first to ask this. “Yes, I do believe I am the first one to ever ask that. People assume too much and learn too little.” He remarked, bringing another smile to Bill’s face. “And you are definitely not like that. You are willing to learn, aren’t you?” The demon plucked one of the books out of the air and flipped through it, giving Ford a moment to properly formulate an answer. “Of course, I am. Studying, learning, has brought me where I am today. I was gifted with a flexible mind and I might as well use it, don’t you think?” Bill hid a smirk when he heard the pride in the mage’s voice. This was almost too easy; Ford was reacting so perfectly that it was almost boring. “I agree wholeheartedly with you there. And you’d think that people, especially with the talents you and other mages have, would agree too. Yet so many of them seem too lazy, too ignorant, or too arrogant to continue learning. They all think they know everything already. Yet you, you’re humble enough to know that more knowledge is more power, and gaining knowledge takes time and effort.” Bill let himself fall into a chair. “And I am glad there is someone in this kingdom again who knows what hard work means. I’ve been watching you for a while now, you know. From the moment you set foot into Gravity Falls actually.” He mentioned casually, glancing at Ford from the corner of his eyes. To his amusement, that statement seemed to irritate the mage for some reason. A spark escaped the extra finger on the right hand. An interesting feat probably not unwelcome when it came to certain spells. Bill chuckled softly and stopped himself from getting too distracted. He wanted to keep his attention on Ford for the time being. He would have more than enough time thinking about this mage later, once he was done getting under the man’s skin. Hopefully in a good way, he liked this one. Sure, there were more interesting and talented mages in this kingdom, but Bill took a special interest into this stranger. Why? He wasn’t quite sure yet, but something about all of this promised a lot of fun.

Ford seemed a lot less thrilled. He realized that his question was never answered. “What are you?” He repeated himself, and to his pleasure, the chuckling being fell silent. “You’re tenacious, aren’t you?” Bill intertwined his fingers, refusing to show anything but amusement and casual interest. “But perhaps it would indeed slow down us getting to know eachother. The name is Bill Cipher. And what I am? Call me a guide. Or a muse, a spirit, but I would much prefer being a friend.” He sat up straighter when Ford tilted his head. “Where did you come from?” He asked, collecting the leftover floating books, and putting them on the table. The demon slid a finger over his chin, thinking of an answer. “I come from the source of your problems.” He then said, laughing again at the confused expression on the mage’s face. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” He mocked playfully, earning him a short glare. “The source of my problems at the moment is the council.” The mage sank down in the other chair, his eyes still on the being in front of him. “Oh, I heard. It’s a miracle they managed to stay in power long enough for you to even get here.” Bill rolled his eyes, which caused Ford to like him just a little bit more. “Really, what’s the point of calling you here if they are not even going to listen, or even tell you why. It’s stupid and I know at least five more effective ways to rule over a kingdom.” The demon was getting ahead of himself and went silent before he’d go too far. “But that’s entirely beside the point here. You’re not the only one they treated like that; you know? It’s been going on for a while.” Bill stretched, leaning back in the chair again. Now it was Ford who rolled his eyes. “I heard. I also heard the others all gave up.” He answered. “I know, I watched them too. They had no spine, no patience, and not enough brains to solve this. But you, you impress me. Your way of fixing this might actually work.” The demon’s eyes glimmered with excitement.

Ford raised his head. He was starting to get the feeling he knew what Bill was getting at. And if he was right, which he always was, it could very well prove to be the solution of his problems. But he was hesitant; the obvious non-human aura made him uneasy, and he wanted to know more before he would actually go along with anything this being said. Despite the fact Bill knew talent when he saw it, the mage still wanted to know more. He wanted to be sure. Especially considering that part where the being mentioned they knew better ways to rule a kingdom. It was the phrasing that actually made the hairs in his neck stand up. “Are you sure you’re just a guide?” He asked, looking the being over again. He couldn’t make up anything of the further attire Bill was wearing. It was actually similar to what he wore himself, a tunic, pants, and boots. Nothing too flashy, besides maybe the golden triangles littered over the being's tunic on fine rows of interlocking links. They were subtle but glittered when the being moved. “I told you, a guide a muse, perhaps not in the traditional way, but it is what it is.” Bill answered, another smile forming around his lips. “When I think of a guide, I think of someone leading me somewhere. There is no need to go anywhere right now. I recently moved; I have no desire to move again.”

The demon tilted his head. “Isn’t there? I might be wrong, but as far as I can tell, you seem stuck in your research. Stuck in what you’re trying to do. If you want to unite the council by settling their argument, and deciding which one is the most important, I’d think you would have to move. The kingdom is filled with mages of all kinds. Sure, there would be one of every kind willing to answer your questions, wouldn’t there?” His voice was casual, just trying to think along with Ford, who had already thought of this a bit ago. “It wouldn’t be the same thing. I would have to find mages of the exact same strength, but how could I be objective when I compare them to my own abilities? The only way to truly be fair, would be by erasing the work I have done working with what I can de myself. But it would mean a loss of a lot of work, and even then, I would still have to find mages of the same strength, without knowing if either ability might just not be as strong. And it would take up so much time. I have the feeling this kingdom needs help faster than that. It’s not just about the council actually acknowledging the fact I spent weeks on the road to even get here. It is also to help the people of this kingdom. They need leadership, at least from what I have heard.” He rubbed his forehead, and Bill raised an eyebrow. “Why not let the council collapse on itself then? If you really think they are that far from tearing themselves apart, why bother?” He sat up straight now, but Ford shook his head. “It wouldn’t be fair; it wouldn’t be right. According to the stories I heard from people in town, the alternatives aren’t much better. And if they collapse, I have no reason to be here at all.” In the end, it all was because he just wanted to be recognized. The mage could tell himself this was for the good of the people too, over and over again, it did not make it any less of a lie.

But Bill didn’t care. He was actually getting to the point he was trying to make. By the grace of the Axolotl, why did he have to do everything himself? “So what you are saying is that the only way to solve your problem, to fix this, is to find one person who can wield every type of magic, and ask them to tell you which one is the strongest?” He asked, maintaining his façade of curiosity, with a hint of admiration for the juice. “Yes, but that would still mean a loss of my own work because I want to be as fair as I can be. And besides, there is not a person in the world who has mastered every kind of magic. It’s just impossible. Nobody is fit to do it all.” Ford sighed, running a hand through his brown hair, making a mess of it. Bill chuckled and raised his hand. A wind blew over the mage’s head, making the hair flat again. “Not necessarily a loss of what work you have already done. You see, I told you what I am. And where I come from. What kind of muse would I be if I didn’t provide you with what you need?” The demon laughed at the startled expression of the mage in front of him. “You have to stop making that face at me, Ford. I came here to help because I finally found someone who knows what they are doing. Unless you don’t want to do this.” Bill studied the instruments on the table, careful not to break the silence now. He’d planted his seed; it was up to Ford to water it.

The mage thought everything over. There was something about all of this that didn’t sit right with him. His whole life, the mage had learned that nothing ever came to him. Except maybe his place in the Academy, but even then, he had to prove himself before they let him attend. And now the solution to his problems just fell out of thin air. His hand went through his hair again, remembering the lack of effort the being put in his use of magic. That part of Bill’s story had been true. He had to be close to the origin of magic, or he would have had more issue to summon up such an exact gust of wind. Suddenly a question rose up in his mind. “What is in all of this for you?” He asked, and to his concern, Bill’s smile faltered for a second. “Look, the council has been playing with the art of magic for way too long. They can be so much more than what they are, and I hate watching them wasting what they have. It is insulting and almost physically painful to see them abuse my natural element.” There was a cold tone in his voice now. “But even before the council, this kingdom has never been able to grow to its full potential, because their king didn’t understand the true reach of their possibilities. I don’t like the council, but with a group of people, there is at least a greater chance that they will wield magic the way they should.” He stared in the distance. “I have been sitting there, watching, begging for someone who could do what I so desperately want them to.” Bill leaned back again. “I was getting so sick of watching the abuse of magic.” Well, there was not much of a lie there, just rephrasing the truth.

“Why not go to the council yourself then?” Ford was trying to hide the fact he was starting to like the being a lot. “Oh, several reasons, most of them being close to what happened to you. They can’t look up from their argument for long enough to actually listen to what I have to say. And besides, I am not from this world. It happened all too often that they turn against me. Now I am not going to lie to you, I could maybe have just put a curse or spell on all of them, but I am just a humble guide. It’s not my place to act in their name, which is what I would do if I just incapacitated them.” Bill got up and chuckled. It wasn’t true. The reason he didn’t do that had more to do with the fact that it was really exhausting to control so many people at once, and he wasn’t planning on dividing his attention between so many people. “And with the possibilities there are out there, I can’t be sure they wouldn’t go mad. But with you, I don’t have that fear, you know. Your mind is strong, flexible, and young. They have been stuck in their ways for too long.” Bill walked over to a bookshelf, sliding his finger over the back of the countless books that were crammed up in the house. “Really, I am amazed by how well you handle yourself with the amount of knowledge you have already stored in there. Maybe that’s why I felt you are the one who can get them out of this mess.” Alright, time to tone it down. Too much of this tone and it would only make the mage suspicious again. So far Ford seemed to like the attention, but the mage was also more suspicious than the demon had thought from the first response.

“Alright, that is a good reason. But the alternatives then? I know there is an influential family. They have been in Gravity Falls for a long time and would know how to rule it.” At this point Ford just wanted to hear why it wasn’t a good idea. He wanted to hear that his idea was really the best one. Bill was more than willing to accommodate there. “The Northwest family? Oh, they’re established, but they have not had any substantial magic in their blood for generations. Very sad, nothing I can do about it. I can strengthen magic, but it wouldn’t help much, as they have long forgotten how to properly use it.” The demon gave the mage a side smile. “No, I would only consider a wielder who is already a master, to get them to reach new limits. Someone who knows what it is to hold that kind of power in their hands, but just need a little push to get to their full potential. Someone like you.” Bill’s voice had gotten softer with every word, and while he spoke, he moved closer, until that last word was nothing but a whisper in Ford’s ear. The mage frowned a little. “With this, it shouldn’t take too long to complete the work. I mean, I know there are many kinds of magic, but if I can just do it all myself, it would save so much time.” He muttered to himself. Over his shoulder, Bill’s grin widened. Finally, the man was biting. The demon liked the mage already, but he was so slow in taking the bait. Bill wondered if that was just when it came to work related things, or if the mage was like that in other things as well. Perhaps he’d find out, he certainly planned to come around more often. Especially if Ford really did take the offer. “It really would be a time saver. And you said it yourself, you want to be as fair as possible, and it doesn’t get fairer than this, does it?”

The mage looked over the table, the books littered there, the instruments and the insane amount of parchment he had already filled with notes and results. “Perhaps not everything at the same time though, at least not at first. I might need time to get used to abilities I have never been able to use before.” He mentioned, and the demon nodded immediately. “Smart move. Is there anything you had in mind to start with?” Bill had trouble hiding his glee again, but Ford was getting worked up and didn’t notice. “I do actually, and for more reason than one. I have to message a few people. I should have written them a while ago, when I arrived here, but I got caught up in things.” He rubbed the back of his head, and Bill gave him a smile. “Yes, you were distracted, but rightfully so. The council has properly offended you, and you are doing something about it. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t understand if you let them know about what happened.” He spoke up, glancing out the window. “But I think that means you don’t really want to wait until the letters get there, then waiting until they write back. You want a faster way.” The demon mused, flicking his hand, and making a small crystal orb appear, for him to toy with until Ford made up his mind and actually asked for what he wanted. Giving was easy, but granting was much more rewarding in the end, and he knew that. So while the mage hesitated once again, a very annoying habit Bill really didn’t want to have to deal with every time he came here, the demon let the crystal orb roll through his fingers, over his hands, and letting it float between his hands. Ford let a finger slide over his chin as he thought, but the idea was simply too alluring. Yet he would be careful with this. Magic was not to be taken lightly, and the more energy one had, the more likely it was that something would go wrong. “I think it would be a good one to start with, also because I have the feeling it could be something vital for the kingdom. To get it to work, people have to communicate. If they can use magic for that, removing the delay that paper and pigeons give you, it would speed up a lot of decisions.” He mused to himself and Bill let out a sigh in relief. Finally.

“Very well, if that is your final decision, I will support that. Catch.” He threw the orb in the air, high enough for Ford to catch it easily. The demon himself disappeared, with the final words. “I will be there in case you can use a guide.” It all sounded a bit strange, but instinctively, Ford caught the orb. Or he meant to catch it, but when his fingers touched the thing, it dissolved, sending a strange sensation up his arms, through his entire body. The mage looked down at himself, truly confused for a second, until he saw sparks coming out of his fingertips. They weren’t caused by his emotions, so much was clear. But then why did they happen? He tried to focus, but the sparking kept going. Strange, he had not had such obvious, uncontrollable discharge of magic since the first semester at the Academy. The teachers had explained that in times when abilities like theirs grew a lot in a short period of time, it would cause these harmless discharges, because the body had not learned how to control the energy yet. Ford realized that the orb Bill had given him was the new power he asked for. Now how to control this? It had been so long since the mage had been dealing with this that he had to think for a moment. He knew that it was somewhere in one of his books, but touching things now would be a slight problem, because there was this risk, he would set something on fire. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened. They had a whole team for cleaning up messes back like those back at the Academy.

Despite being very careful, several of his books had mild fire damage after a week of dealing with this new power. Ford managed to stop sparking all over the place eventually, which was welcome, since he had set his bed on fire twice already. But the mage told himself he was well-trained by now and should be able to get this over with sooner. He took a few precautions and started reading up on how this magic worked exactly. Once he stopped sparking, the mage got to work. The first connection he managed to open was to his parental home. He was trying to concentrate, and suddenly he stared at his mother’s face. “Honey! Oh, my dear son, what are you doing in my crystal ball? Did I suddenly get significant powers after all?” She exclaimed, but Ford shook his head. “I’m sorry, mother. I am simply trying out if this works. I am sorry for not writing yet, I got caught up in work.” He started to explain, and his mother listened with wide eyes. “I didn’t know you could still develop new abilities after completing your studies. Or is this because you moved to Gravity Falls?” She asked him, and the mage hesitated. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to tell the whole world about his new guide. Maybe Bill wouldn’t come back if he did that. After all, the being had let him know that he chose Ford for a reason, and now was not the time to break that trust. Perhaps, at some point he would find someone to confide with, but not his mother. At least not now. “I think that might be the reason, yes. It took a while to master it, but now we can finally truly speak to eachother, much faster than through letters.” He eventually answered and added something else. “Is dad there?”

Sadly, his mother shook his head. “Your father is very busy. There are some issues with the Lord. Did you hear anything from Stanley while you were on the road, dear? We haven’t heard anything, and I am worried he got himself in trouble somewhere.” She sighed, and Ford tried to ignore the flare of irritation he felt coming up. If Stan had gotten himself in trouble, it was his own fault for not waiting until Ford was there to take on the issues with the taxes. Knowing his brother, the mage had assumed, and rightfully so, that Stan had chosen the worst possible approach to confront the Lord about the unfair wages. He wasn’t wrong, but the other Pines twin had a talent of saying that exact thing that would get him in trouble with the wrong people. Ford did care about his brother, but he was so blunt that it was just exhausting. “No, I have been asking around while we were on the way, but nobody seemed to have heard anything about him. It’s very possible he took an entirely different route and is in a whole other kingdom. I can’t imagine he would feel at home here. The magic here is truly unique, mom. It is amazing.” Ford changed the subject as fast as he could, he just wanted to talk about what he was experiencing in the kingdom. It turned into a long rant about the possibilities, how much stronger he was feeling, and about the disappointing reaction of the council when he was standing there in front of them. The mage told his mother about his plan, how he would unite them, be recognized and start working on improving the kingdom further after that. When he finally fell silent, he saw a familiar smile on his mother’s face. He always interpreted it as fondness. “It’s good to see you’re still as ambitious as ever, my dear. I am sure you will succeed.” She said, then looked up. “There is someone at the door, sweety. I have to go now. But I am glad you were able to contact us. Please do that more often. Your father and I would love to hear from you more often.” Then the woman waved her hand over the ball, effectively killing the connection. Ford was slightly bewildered by the sudden farewell, but eventually shrugged. The people in his hometown could get really impatient when his mother took too long to answer the door.

Who should he contact next? Perhaps the Academy, to let them know that he was really in the mythical kingdom of Gravity Falls? But no, of course not, he suddenly realized who he had to call, and almost punched himself for not thinking of this sooner. Fidds! He should call his best friend to tell him about this place, and the magic that came with it. Surely, he would be excited about it. Now to figure out how to do that. These communications were still new, and while the mage already realized this was a very useful to a kingdom, because news could reach the far edges of the kingdom instantly, instead of having messengers ride out to deliver the news. Oh, if only the council wouldn’t be so stubborn, they would have had a thriving kingdom by now, but they decided to ruin it by fighting amongst themselves. Ford got frustrated all over again, setting a stack of empty parchment on fire. He cursed to himself, forced himself to calm down then concentrated. Hopefully Fidds wasn’t in the middle of something important, the mage knew that his friend could get hyper focussed on his little projects, causing him to pay a lot less attention to important things Ford had to say. Really, amulets could wait for ten seconds if it meant he could share the location of that one ingredient he needed for spellcasting, right? It was not like it took that long. But the mage knew he shouldn’t complain; Fidds was a good friend and a talented wizard, although a little limited in what he could actually do. But what he did, he did well.

And so, Ford concentrated, hoping he wouldn’t accidentally ignite anything again and tried to repeat what he had done when he got into contact with his mother. It took a bit, but eventually the fragile-looking bubble appeared, this time showing his long-time friend Fidds, in deep concentration, leaned over a very intricate amulet. As always. “Fiddleford Hadron McGucket, didn’t your teachers say you should never mix sweat with the magic coating?” Ford piped up, almost giving his friend a heart attack. “Stanford Filbrick Pines, are you insane?” Fidds scolded, but the mage only laughed. “Man, you shouldn’t talk like that, do you have any idea where I am right now?” He tried to hide a smile but failed to hide his glee. Despite the weird welcome, he really, truly loved the feeling of being in Gravity Falls, and he wanted to share it with Fidds. But his friend needed a second to process all of it. “I can’t remember you had the gift to communicate through your abilities. How did this happen?” He asked, but Ford waved the concerns away. “Don’t worry about it. Gravity Falls has effects on people. Some go insane, some get new abilities. It happens.” Fidds looked up. “You were called into Gravity Falls? And you’re only telling me this now? What is it like there?” This caused the mage to go into another rant, the second one for the day. This one was even more elaborate than the one he had gotten into when he reached out to his mother. The biggest difference was that Fidds not only listened, but asked questions, and shared the excitement of his friend. “You’re really lucky you got called in. I’m stuck here with the same old things. But hey, the local lord is happy to have me. You should come here at some point; I can pick you up easily.” The amulet maker commented after the story was finally over. “You know your shadow travelling makes me feel nauseous. But maybe if the council agrees, you can come here for a while. I don’t really know what the rules are about coming here. It’s very secluded, and they weren’t really in any condition to explain anything to me.”

Ford felt himself get annoyed again and raised his hands to check if he truly had stopped the sparking. Why was it taking him so long to get this under control? It was very frustrating, and the fact he did see another spark didn’t make it better. “Oh, careful with that, you don’t want to become unstable. You saw what happened to that one student. What was his name again? Gabriel. That kid eventually managed to blow himself up. Those poor parents.” Fidds had seen it too. “Yes, it is really annoying. Been happening since I got that new ability. It’s been going on for a week now, and I am getting tired of having to replace my sheets.” Ford sighed and tried to calm himself down. “You should look into those crystals, you know, the one I studied. They hold magic really well, and would still keep them close, so they are at your display at any second.” Fidds mused, but the mage just rolled his eyes. “I’ll be _fine_ , I learned how to control my other abilities, I will get this one to do the same thing. It’s just with the enhancement my powers got when I moved here that it is more to deal with than what I encountered earlier. Nothing to worry about.” He waved the concerns of his friend away and resorted to talking about Fidds’s life since he graduated. He didn’t really care all that much, but he also didn’t feel like hearing more suggestions as to how he should deal with the constant sparking. He really didn’t need help with that, he already had his guide, and that was more than enough. At least for now.

Bill was watching Ford from his own dimension. There was a smile on his face, but it wasn’t as wicked as it could be. Oh, the pride this human had in himself, it was delightful in more than one way. Ford was someone Bill could stand to be around for longer. Of course, his indecisiveness and overall cluelessness about things were annoying, and forced him to take himself down a notch to actually get through to the mage, but besides that, the demon was truly enjoying himself. And it looked like he would soon be getting another wizard to toy with. If Ford decided to become smart in the end, and actually invited Fidds over, then Bill would have two humans just right there, doing exactly what he needed to get what he wanted. He knew what that much magic did to humans, and it was just what he needed. And with a little bit of luck, the mage didn’t even have to die, and could be his little toy for a really long time. And there he went again, getting ahead of himself. The demon couldn’t help it, it was just too much fun imagining what could be, and what would be if Ford just hurried up. Bill watched his human set something on fire again and burst out in laughter. Poor man, Fidds was absolutely right. Those crystals the other had mentioned would really solve a lot of Ford’s issues, especially considering he could easily measure the exact level of magic each of them took. But it was funny to watch him struggle for a while.

Eventually though, the trick got old, especially because it got worse every time Bill added an ability. While Ford continued his research with great care, trying his hardest to at least keep his notes from going up in flames, he had more and more trouble containing it. Why in the name of magic was sparking always the result of becoming unstable? Why couldn’t he just inadvertently dye things blue or something. Anything less destructive than the sparks that caused burn marks on his table would be welcome. But that’s what happened. Magic was energy very similar to lightning or fire but behaved like water. The result was a flow of energy that could be very destructive when out of control. The mage did count himself lucky that he didn’t cause the town to get caught in a flash flood, but besides that he was getting very sick of this feeling. Fidds was right, he was getting unstable, and that was something he really didn’t need right now. When it happened again, and he nearly caused the curtains to go up in flames, he just cursed loudly. Bill appeared behind him. “Sixer, I know I’m just a humble guide, but perhaps you should stop setting fire to your house.” His tone was as calm as he could muster right now, trying to contain his laughter. Ford turned towards him, trying to ignore the mention of his childhood nickname. “I can get it under control, Bill. It’s fine.” He huffed, but his muse crossed his arms. “You say that every time, clearly you’re not fine.” The demon watched as short series of sparks threatened to ignite Ford’s pants. “Careful.”

The mage looked down and sighed. He didn’t want to admit it, but his knowledge about artifacts, crystals and amulets was severely limited. But this couldn’t continue like this, he knew that too. Still, he should be able to control it. He always did. Ford balled his fists, but slim fingers folded around his tensed hands, rubbing over them until the flattened again. When he looked up, Bill’s face was inches away from his own. Subconsciously, he took a step back, but his muse just moved with him. The heterochromia was confusing the mage. “Sixer, don’t act like your stupid, I know you’re not.” Bill’s voice was a whisper. “You hold up well, but I can’t help you if you burn through your work.” The demon was forcing himself to maintain this tone of genuine concern, but the fact it reminded him of his brother wasn’t really helping. He would be the first to admit he wasn’t known for his kindness. Luckily, Ford reacted. “Fine. I’ll contact Fidds. He knows how to work those things.” He muttered to himself, and finally Bill gave him his personal space back. The mage let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. “That sounds delightful.” This time the demon was telling the truth; he was looking forward to meeting Fidds. The wizard sounded like a blast, and he couldn’t wait.

Bill went over the books on the shelves again while Ford opened up a bubble to talk to his friend. It had gotten a lot easier over time, even the demon could see that, but it still wasn’t as effortless as the abilities the mage was born with. That was completely normal, and Bill didn’t lift a finger to help Ford with it. He was so adamant that he could do things on his own, might as well just stand back and watch as the human finally asked for help. When the connection formed, Ford didn’t wait long before he started talking. “Fidds, how would you feel like moving to Gravity Falls for a while?” He started as soon as he saw his friend look up from what he was doing. “I would first ask why.” The other answered, causing Bill to supress a chuckle. “Crystals. That’s why. You know them better than I do, and I’m sure the council would appreciate it if their argument got settled. You’re good at what you do, Fidds. I could use some help.” Ford fidgeted with his fingers, always an interesting sight with the extra pinkies. The amulet maker tilted his head. “What is this, the great Ford Pines can’t do it himself? Fine, I’ll be right over. I haven’t had any good orders in a week anyway.” Fidds got up and Ford popped the bubble again, hardly giving Bill enough time to hide the huge smirk he had on his face. That Fidds was going to be the most fun person to add to this equation, he could just feel it. Until Ford really trusted him, the demon couldn’t call the mage out on too much of his antics. But Fidds would be more than free, and clearly more than willing to take that task upon himself. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see if the wizard wouldn’t go insane with the power in the air here.

Ford killed the time by rearranging a few things in his house with some help from Dan Corduroy. The kid was young, but clearly had a knack for this, as he rapidly rearranged the bedroom to fit another bed, without having to get rid of any shelf space. “Master Pines, why are there burn marks everywhere?” The kid asked, and Ford glared at the ceiling. “Power, Dan. They get out of hand when you try new things.” He then muttered, and the boy wrinkled his nose in thought. “I will ask around for fireproof material.” He then piped up and ran off before the mage could stop him. Bill emerged from the shadows when Dan was out of sight. “Smart kid.” He muttered, glancing at Ford from the corner of his eye, smirking at the irritation he saw in the mage. Book smart to no end, but clueless when it came to people. That was the way Bill liked his toys. Although Fidds wasn’t really like that. Or maybe he was, just had the brain to call Ford out on his behaviour. All in all, it proved to turn into an interesting thing. Somewhere in the back of his head, the demon knew that this could still end badly, but from what he could see, with every move Ford made towards what he thought was their common goal, the closer Bill got to what he truly wanted. Patience was a virtue he had not been overly blessed with, but for now he would sit it out.

About an hour after Dan had disappeared, Fiddleford stepped into the house. His way of travelling was very convenient, and perhaps the only thing Ford was slightly jealous of. It would have spared him the long journey from his hometown to Gravity Falls if he would have been suited for shadow travel. It was an ability the mage had not asked from Bill yet, mostly because it really made him uneasy whenever he travelled with Fidds in this form. Dissolving into shadow took some getting used to, and it wasn’t without risk. And indeed, the first thing the amulet maker did when he arrived, was cough up some black smoke. “By the grace of all magic, what is this feeling?” The amulet maker piped up when he stopped coughing up shadows. “Oh, yes. I should have warned you about the intensity of this place. You will get used to it.” Ford shrugged it off, mumbling a mild curse over the swirls of power that glittered between his fingers. “You know what the headmaster said, fingers in a bow of water will keep your room intact.” Fidds commented and filled up a bowl immediately. The mage was reluctant but wanted to tell the full story of what he wanted to do without having to interrupt himself to put small fires out, so he accepted.

Bill kept to himself while Ford brought his friend up to speed with the research. Fidds kept his hands busy during it, working on an amulet, as usual. When the mage finally finished talking, the amulet maker tilted his head. “I don’t understand anything about this kingdom, other than that you took up more than you can handle, as usual. Now take this to bring a stop to that sparking of yours for now.” He hung the amulet around Ford’s neck. “Pure lead, should hold for a while, so you don’t burn through your table.” He stretched, then looked up. “One more thing though, who is that?” Fidds was staring at Bill, who was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed and a calm smile on his face. “The name’s Bill Cipher, I am Ford’s guide.” He simply answered. The wizard diverted his attention to the mage, who was drying off his hands. “A guide?” Clearly the amulet maker was suspicious. “Alright fine, maybe I am not gaining new power because of this kingdom. Bill has been giving them to me, so I can make a fair judgement about them. He comes from the source of all magic, Fidds. Do you know how jealous people will be if they find out someone from the origin has chosen to help me?” Clearly this had to be a joke, right? Fidds studied Ford for a long time but couldn’t find a hint of humour in the mage at all. “Alright that’s it. You have officially gone mad.” The amulet maker eventually concluded, and Bill had to stop himself from bursting into laughter.


	3. Bitter rivalry or welcome challenge?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fidds doesn't trust Bill, Bill is being an asshole, as usual, and Ford is blissfully unaware of any of it. He just wants to get on with his project. The other two do too, but they all have different reasons to want this to end.

**Playing them like a Fiddle.**

“Ford, I mean it, there’s something about Bill that just doesn’t sit well with me.” It was a week after Fiddleford had arrived in Gravity Falls, and the amulet maker had gotten used to the increased power that lingered in the air of the kingdom. It had very much upped his productivity, and he would describe the weird feeling he would have when he’d shadow travel back home to grab something he needed and had not brought with him yet. “It is a lot like you suddenly stuffed your entire body into a transparent pillow. You can still see and hear things, but it’s all muffled. Even moving just feels odd. I don’t blame the people for never leaving this place in their entire life, you know. Imagine having to cut off half of your abilities just by crossing the border. It would be unbearable.” That was generally the story whenever he came back, after coughing up black smoke. Ford looked up from his stack of parchment, where Fiddleford’s skillset was being written out by a quill pen moving on its own. The mage had been dictating to it for a while, and now it was catching up with was said.

Ford sighed and made sure the quill wouldn’t write down the following conversation. “I really don’t know what the problem is. So far, he has been a great help. You have to admit it worked when he told you about the extract of sunflowers to help with that dissolving issue of yours.” He smirked at Fidds, who really wasn’t happy with everything at the moment. He had known the mage for quite a few years now and was very much aware of how stubborn Ford could be, but even then. The whole story about Bill being a guide just seemed off. Even after getting his friend to explain why he was chosen about a dozen times; the amulet maker couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling whenever the being was around. “I know it worked, and I am glad, because that black smoke tastes like tar, and I am glad to be rid of it. But that doesn’t mean Bill is completely trustworthy. I mean, if he’s really an all-powerful being, directly from the source of all magic, why does he bother with any mage? If he can grant you more powers, why didn’t he just gift you the power to take of that sparking issue yourself? I have the feeling he is using you for his amusement.” It wasn’t the first time Fidds mentioned this, but Ford didn’t seem to think it was that serious. “Even if he is, it’s working, and we’re getting closer to the answers we’re looking for. Stop being so paranoid about literally everything.” Ford went back to dictating the quill, meaning the amulet maker would have to stop talking to not ruin the carefully written list.

After the feather finally finished and dropped, the mage turned to his friend. “Now that this is out of the way, we are going to have to plan out how to set up these crystals.” Ford’s hand subconsciously went to the amulet he was still wearing. Of course, he was. Fidds knew his craft, and since he was wearing it, the only incident was when he had gotten another power from Bill yesterday. On the mage’s request, they had stepped out of the house before adding more powers. He had to admit he was starting to feel the toll it was taking on his body. Anymore and he would follow Gabriel and blow himself up, which really would be a waste of time and talent. So no, they would have to look into the crystals before he could continue working on solving the problems of the kingdom. Another thing Fidds had an issue with. The amulet maker kept telling Ford that it wasn’t his responsibility to take the issues of this place on himself. He was a foreigner after all, and in his opinion, the people of this kingdom should solve their own problems. But the mage wasn’t going to give up. He was so close, why would he stop now? If they could just take away the issue of the human being able to only take a certain amount of magic energy before it would give up and overload, Ford was estimating maybe another month before they would be done, and he could present his conclusion to the council, settle their stupid argument once and for all, and then start working on other things. Then Fidds could go back home, no longer occupied with issues not his own, and Ford could sort out what he was hoping to gain from staying in the kingdom. The longer he stayed, the more connection he was starting to feel to the place. It was strange.

Fidds on his turn was worried about more than what he had been telling Ford. He was seeing changes in his friend that didn’t necessarily come from the increase in magic. Even with that fact taken into consideration, the mage was being affected by the kingdom more than the amulet maker was. Fidds had resorted to wearing an amulet as well, although it was smaller and less potent than Ford’s, because he had a hard time getting used to the constant shift between his home and the kingdom. The amulet helped him to stay stable and made it possible for him to fill his mind with other things than just the potential this place could possibly have, if they sorted out the way it was run. Fidds wondered if the reason they were arguing in the first place was mainly because the energy of the kingdom itself was getting into their head and clouding their judgement. Maybe the problems wouldn’t be solved with magic because they were caused by them. Being an amulet maker meant that Fidds knew how valuable it could be to not deal with abilities for a while. Power supressing amulets were amongst the most requested kind he made back home, and part of him wondered if this kingdom wouldn’t benefit from not having magic for a while. But Ford would get worked up whenever the amulet maker came even close to that subject, and while Fidds had no problem setting the mage straight when he was being unreasonable or just plain stupid, he wasn’t really looking to put his friend in a constant bad mood. Still, Fidds was worried what had gotten into Ford. The mage had always been stubborn, but this was taking it to a next level. It was almost obsessive, which concerned him greatly.

The most annoying part about the situation was that he could best talk to Bill about this alternative solution to the problems in the kingdom, but the amulet maker didn’t trust the being at all. He wondered if someone who lived so close to the source of all magic could really be just a guide. Bill seemed too eager to not be planning to get something more out of this. His origin wasn’t the part Fidds questioned; everything about the being screamed magic, even if he didn’t really use all that much. No, it really was just the attitude Bill had towards this project. It bugged the amulet maker more than it should, and he started to keep an eye on the being whenever he set foot in the house. He still did the work Ford needed him to do of course, and the quality didn’t falter, but Fidds’ attention shifted to Bill, more than to the overall progress of their work. That was the mage’s responsibility anyway, so Ford didn’t mind, nor particularly care. He was way too caught up in the fact they would have to start with the crystals soon. Fidds had not answered yet, only told the mage that it would be better to revise everything they had so far one more time. It had bought him another week, but that time was almost up. The amulet maker was currently looking at Bill, who was sitting on the other side of the room, seemingly very caught up in one of Ford’s books. For some reason it made Fidds even more sure of the fact there was something going on with the being. All of the books in this house were in some way connected to either Gravity Falls and its history, or magic and the properties of it. Neither of those subjects did Bill need books for.

Apparently, the being was well aware that Fidds was watching him, because at some point he looked up and gave a smile at the amulet maker, who simply raised an eyebrow at him. Bill struggled to keep the smile from turning into a smirk. Fidds was delightfully suspicious, and in that way infinitely smarter than Ford, who was getting more and more willing to blindly follow any suggestion the demon came up with. So, after a while of them both staring at eachother, Bill put his book down. “Obviously, you have some sort of issue with me, Fiddleford. I’m not sure why, but I think you can fill me in.” There was a slight undertone of sarcasm in his voice, just enough to be picked up on. And the amulet maker sure did. Immediately he put his quill down and glared. “You are a liar at the least and probably a monster on top of it.” He stated bluntly, and once again the demon had to keep himself from laughing. He could hardly help himself, Fidds just amused him too much. He was limited in what he could do, but had he been like Ford, Bill would have considered making the amulet maker do the work, using Ford for something else entirely. The demon managed to keep those thoughts to himself for now though, and simply raised an eyebrow. “Strong words. Any reason why you feel like that? I mean, it’s not like I have done much to deserve being called names.” He gave a casual shrug and just leaned back, eager to hear the answer to that statement. It was true, and Fiddleford knew that. The demon had been behaving very politely, especially considering what he truly was. The man was right: Bill fell under the category of monsters. And he was proud of it too. But monsters came in many forms and shapes, and Bill was not the one to show up with hooves and horns and a tail and just trample everything on his path. He was the kind of monster that let people doom themselves. But there was no way Fidds knew that much about him, so Bill was eager to see what the man came up with instead.

“Everything. Everything makes me feel like that. Ford isn’t even from this kingdom. No way there is nobody in Gravity Falls capable of doing what he is doing. There is literally no reason for you to pick him for this. And since you did, Ford has become even more obsessed with achieving his goal than he normally is. I have known the man for years, and you are bringing out the worst in him. Why are you doing that? Leave him alone. Let him figure this out for himself.” Fidds was speaking very fast, and Bill had to bite the inside of his cheek to the point he drew blood to avoid laughing. “It’s not because he is capable of doing this that I chose him, you know. It is because he is willing to. You said it yourself: he is obsessed with achieving this. Who am I to deny him my help? With what I can do, he can reach his goal, and it really doesn’t hurt me. Leaving him alone would mean such an endless delay to his work, and as far as I know, humans don’t live that long anyway.” He answered, then closed his mouth to try to lick his blood off his teeth without letting Fidds know. “Do you really think that me leaving would change his mind about fixing the council? It wasn’t my idea you know; he had been working on it for weeks before I visited him for the first time.” He added after making sure he wouldn’t give away how much he was holding his laughter. “You could just limit your visits to when he is ready to take on a new ability you know. There is no need to linger around here. At least I am doing something useful every time I am here.” Fidds gave a huff.

Bill now raised an eyebrow. “And you can just make your amulets and not question everything around here, but I don’t see you doing that either. I like it here. Why wouldn’t I pay this world a visit more often? It’s not like I am not watching when I’m not here anyway.” The demon saw no point in hiding this from the amulet maker. The man had probably figured that out himself anyway. For a second, Bill wondered if Ford knew. He did tell the mage he had been watching, but he wasn’t quite sure if the man knew he still was when he felt like it, which actually was quite often. Sure, nowadays he could just come here in person and talk to the two men, but sometimes he felt more like sitting back and watching them. The demon realized that even if the mage knew, he probably didn’t care all that much. Fidds was right after all, all Ford cared about these days was his research. All he wanted was to prove himself. And he would, with a bit of help. Now that the amulet maker’s abilities had been written out and properly archived, and they could start on gathering the crystals and charging them up with the magic they needed, it shouldn’t take much longer. That was the other reason Bill came around so often. He wanted to be there when it was completed, and he wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any side effects. If the demon could help it, neither the mage nor the wizard would die in the process. Bill liked to have a plaything or two after all, and those two men amused him to no end.

Fidds glared at him, not because he was offended, but because he wanted to get to the point of this conversation, and for some reason he got side-tracked because of this being. “Stop dancing around the point, Cipher. I want to know what is in all of this for you. I don’t believe for a second that you are doing this because the council isn’t living up to your expectations. Ford might believe that, because it is more or less his opinion too, but I know there is more to it. I know your kind, Bill. It is not the first time I encounter someone like you.” The amulet maker spat out, and the demon raised an eyebrow. “Someone similar to me? I think you would have to explain that.” He got up from his seat, trying to distract the man from the slight discomfort he felt when Fidds said that. Bill wasn’t the only one who visited the human world every now and then. And the demon had quite reputation, so if the amulet maker had truly been in contact with someone from his home realm before, it might become a problem. But Fidds wasn’t talking about that. He was thinking about people who used others for their own gain. He had been in contact with those before. Amulet makers were highly sought after, and the wizard was good at what he did. And because of his shadow travel ability, he could move fast, and got requests from all over the world, not just his hometown. Sadly, it had also attracted quite a few less honest people, meaning Fidds had some experience with dealing with those people. Ford was only fresh out of school, he had only worked for various teachers and his own family, so he might just miss that very vital hint of scepticism that would have made him question Bill the way he should have. Fidds cared a lot about his friend, maybe more than he should, or he wouldn’t have been so hesitant to put the mage in a bad mood. Right now, though, the wizard was convinced he had to say something.

“You are taking advantage of Ford. Don’t think I don’t know how unique his skillset is, especially with that unique feature of his. But you, you’re using him, and I want to know what it is exactly that you’re wanting to gain from doing this.” The amulet maker got up as well, and discovered, to his own amusement, that he was slightly taller than Bill. The being crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and smirked in a way that made Fidds back away a tiny bit. “Has it occurred to you that I might like Ford? He’s smart, works hard, and knows what he’s doing. Why wouldn’t I come here more often? He’s a lot better company than most others.” The demon’s tone was casual enough, but he was very careful not to go too far with talking positively about the mage, or Fidds might get the wrong idea about all of this. His words had an unexpected effect though: the amulet maker got angry. “Don’t you dare use my own words against me. Get out of my head.” He almost hissed, and Bill tilted his head, suddenly amused for a whole other reason. “I wasn’t in your head, Fiddleford. But now that you mention it, I just might. Although I have the feeling, I know what I will find. You love him, don’t you?” The demon failed to hide his glee about this latest addition to all of this. The amulet maker went a very bright shade of red when he realized what he had just done. “Stop trying to distract me! And also, if you weren’t in my head, then that must mean- oh.” Fidds caught the exact second Bill realized he had talked himself into a corner as well. The two stared at eachother for a second, not really sure how to continue this now.

The demon was the first to recover from this. He threw his head back and laughed. “He’d choose me if we’d ask, you know.” He spoke up when he was done, and the other glared intensely. “I would never force him to choose between us, even if you deserved to be ditched.” He spat, and Bill tilted his head. “You wouldn’t ask him to choose because you don’t trust him to make the most convenient choice for you.” He sneered, but Fidds just shook his head. “I wouldn’t force him to choose because it is a terrible thing to do to someone you care about, and because I don’t trust him to not make the choice that is going to ruin his life.” He shrugged, trying to get less uptight, despite the fact he was fuming internally. Bill tilted his head. “So, you don’t trust Ford then. That’s rich. Someone who has known him for as long as you do should be able to trust him, don’t you think? He’s an adult and he can make his own choices, and he is perfectly capable of dealing with the consequences of those choices.” The demon let himself fall into the chair again. Yes, he slipped up for a second, but the situation was still under control, and he found a new source of entertainment on top of it. As for now, he knew very well that he was more in Ford’s favour than Fidds was, and he would not hesitate to rub that in whenever he could, for several reasons. For starters: the amulet maker was very entertaining when he was mad, and when he was, it really did not work in his favour with Ford. So yes, Bill would only benefit from irritating the man who had just become his rival. No more stopping the thought that had been nagging at him ever since the demon started interacting with the mage directly: he liked Ford. And he like him a lot more than he liked other humans. Another thought came up in his head: he wanted to take the mage for himself once this whole thing was over. Bill would probably keep Fidds around too, for entertainment purposes, and because the man had a few abilities that might come in handy later, but Ford would be his private plaything. Even if he had to use force. But that was getting ahead of himself again.

Meanwhile Fidds was trying to figure out a way to either get his friend to come to his senses and get rid of Bill, or at least be a little less trusting about everyone when it came to agreeing with what he was saying. The amulet maker looked at the being again. “What are you?” He asked, deciding to hear everything from Bill himself, instead of going with what Ford had told him. “You’re not a guide, so much is clear to me. You’re in this because you want something, and it’s not just Ford.” Fidds refused to believe that. It couldn’t be just about his friend. “Well, even if I tell you, and you tell him, he won’t believe you. And really, being a humble guide has never truly been my style. You people most often call me a demon. The rest of what I told Ford is mostly true actually. I am from the place where magic finds its origin, I do hate how humans usually handle magic and I am impressed by Ford’s style. But it isn’t the main reason.” Bill was savouring this moment. He had been hoping to get the chance to really tell what was going on. But he was still going to lie, because he didn’t want the amulet maker to bail and delay this thing. “The council isn’t suited to lead this kingdom. I can’t stand them, and I know that you actually share that opinion with me. Ford is not in mortal danger. He’s never been. But the council? They just might be. There are other people, next in line, much more suited for ruling this place. They would step up, but the current seating leaders are holding them down. And yes, I would back them up if they do get into power. And no, I would not let them kill Ford on the grounds of treason or something like that. I just want them gone, and more influence, meaning I can’t do it myself.” He explained, and Fidds tilted his head. He knew he shouldn’t trust a demon, and he didn’t. But at least this story made sense.

It also made sense why the demon would lie about it. Ford wouldn’t go along with a plan like that, but he did have the right personality to be the human who caused it all. He was stubborn, proud and had the inability to back off when he should. Suddenly Fidds started to laugh, which managed to actually confuse Bill a lot. He would have expected shock or anger, not this. He recovered quickly though and raised an eyebrow. “You seem to find it funny that I plan to make Ford commit mass murder.” He said casually, and the amulet maker smirked. “Of course. There is no way you are going to pull this off without alerting Ford of what you have done. I know that man a lot longer than you do, Bill. And I know very well there is no way I am going to convince him that you are a terrible idea. But he isn’t stupid, and you know that. As soon as he figures out what kind of monster you truly are, you’re done for. And I get to see it happen and keep him out of trouble in the meantime. Because you can’t touch me, or you lose him even faster. This isn’t our kingdom. With the council gone, there is no reason for us to stay here.” The amulet maker was partially trying to comfort himself, because he understood very well that he was just as stuck as he tried to tell Bill he was. He couldn’t leave Ford alone with the demon, and there was no way the mage would leave on his own. Unsurprisingly, the demon wasn’t very impressed, he got up again, walked up to Fidds and leaned in. “Bring it on, kid. I have an eternity. I would _love_ a good challenge. But remember this, Ford is mine, and I am not planning on letting go.” He whispered in the amulet maker’s ear.

At that moment, the mage returned from who knows where, with a man Fidds didn’t know. When he looked back at Bill, he saw that the demon had disappeared. It caused him to roll his eyes and take a deep breath. He would have to do what he could to protect Ford against himself. The amulet maker had known his friend for years and knew what he was like. But he also knew himself, and he would never abandon someone, especially not a friend so dear to him as the mage. Hopefully, Bill would keep to himself how much he really cared. “Who is this?” Fidds asked when he managed to get a hold of himself again. Ford smiled a little, but the other very much did not. He had a bit of a sour look on his face. “The name is Tenney Strange. I am the man who brought this one to this kingdom.” He spoke up. Fidds tilted his head. “Are you a shadow traveller too?” He asked, trying not to get excited about the thought of finding someone who shared that power. But Tenney shook his head. “Actually no. I am currently the only person in Gravity Falls who is not a wielder. I have no magic of my own. But that is not why I am here today. If I wanted to become a wielder, I would have tried to get powers a lot sooner in life.” The man had to work really hard to not sound completely exasperated. He had been glad to not have to talk to Ford for a while, but apparently his break was over. Although he had not really expected to meet someone else in the house. The mage had not mentioned him at all.

“Oh, that’s unexpected but interesting. Ford, why did you bring him here?” Fidds turned his attention to his friend, unintentionally giving Tenney the feeling he was being ignored. “Excuse me, I can ask him the same about you. Master Pines was invited here. As far as I know, you were not.” The charioteer crossed his arms. The wizard was slightly offended by that statement but replied anyway. “I was invited actually. By Ford here. To solve the problems of your kingdom.” Tenney frowned at the snide remark about the issues in Gravity Falls. “Ford is still a guest in our kingdom. Usually we try to keep our lands private, meaning you have no right to be here at all.” He replied, but then just sighed. “Who are you anyway?” The amulet maker straightened his back. “Fiddleford McGucket. I was brought in to make all of this go a little faster.” He offered his hand. Tenney hesitated for a second, but Fidds seemed less of an arrogant man than his friend, so he decided to give the amulet maker the benefit of the doubt and shook hands with him. “Well, I don’t think the council minds you are here, as long as you don’t go around inviting more people, you know. The kingdom might be in shambles for a good part, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have norms and all.” The charioteer ran a hand through his hair, then turned to Ford. “Master Pines, I would really like to know why you insisted I would come with you right away.”

The mage nodded and sat down at the table. The other two did the same. Bill was watching them from his own world and made a mental note of the body language of the amulet maker. Now that he knew a bit more about Fidds, the demon was amused to see how focussed the man really was on Ford. Almost cute, and it promised to turn into a fun situation if this all went the way he expected. For now, though, Bill had to watch from afar. He had no desire to show himself to Tenney. The man was no wielder, and for that reason completely irrelevant to his plans. But maybe the humans could do with his help. Didn’t mean he had to be there while they talked to him. No, for now he was fine just watching, and contemplating how to keep Fidds around after the plan had been truly set in motion. Then he realized that keeping Ford around might be enough to get the amulet maker to stay, as long as he made sure to secure Ford in a way that Fidds couldn’t fade through with that shadow travelling ability of his. Very useful for now, but inconvenient later. Oh well, he would deal with that later. For now, he amused himself by watching Ford unfold the next part of the plan, which he probably needed Tenney for.

And he did. The mage unfolded the map of Gravity Falls again. “I have finished documenting the powers we have in our possession so far, and I also know that acquiring more isn’t safe right now. Fidds and I have agreed on using a set of crystals that will be able to evenly distribute magic when it is needed. But for that to work, we are going to need quite a few of them, and I have the feeling that you know where they are.” Ford explained to the charioteer, who sighed deeply and rolled his eyes when the mage wasn’t looking. “I do know where they are, yes. But to collect them, you will be travelling for a while. I would suggest getting horses from the nearby stables. Not sure if I can actually take you two there, I have other duties to attend to, you know.” Tenney was slightly annoyed with the fact Ford kept calling on him, assuming he was just free all the time. Even now, the man didn’t really seem to listen to him. “If you see the distances on the map, how many jumps do you think it would take to get there and back?” The mage asked Fidds, who studied the map for a bit. “I would say that the point farthest from us would take two jumps with a few hour breaks on the way back, if I have to move a lot of crystals. Maybe three jumps by the way, if we want to do this safely. I don’t really want to risk losing toes because of this.” The amulet maker eventually answered, and Ford nodded. “I was counting on three, so that should be fine. Can you jump with people who don’t wield?” He then asked, grabbing an empty piece of parchment. Tenney protested. “I cannot come with you, even if you go by shadow travel. As I said, I have a lot to do and I can’t just disappear without a good reason.” Really, did that man ever listen to another person at all, or did he just expect everyone to suit to their needs?

Luckily, it appeared that Fidds did seem to pay attention. “Ford, even if I could jump with a bunch of crystals _and_ two other people, one of them not being a wielder, I don’t think it is going to happen. We can handle it with just the two of us, and I don’t expect to need help with finding them when we are on location. Those crystals are a lot easier to find than precious minerals and things like that, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you.” He commented, and the mage looked up. “Alright, suit yourself. I really hope you’re right though. I don’t particularly look forward to coming back empty handed.” He muttered, then turned to Tenney. “The reason I assumed you would know where they are is because you are the last person anyone would expect to have knowledge about items with magical properties. And your inability to wield any magic yourself makes it so that you can interact with any sort of item safely. And it appears I was right.” He explained, and Fidds cursed silently, knowing that Bill was probably listening in, meaning the demon now had the same information. The mage had just unknowingly put the charioteer in danger, and the amulet maker should do something about that, but perhaps later. One problem at the time, and right now he had to make sure Ford wouldn’t do something more stupid than trusting a literal demon. While Fidds didn’t really believe everything Bill had told him, he did believe the part where he said he was a demon. Because as soon as that word was linked to the being, everything made a lot more sense. Including the fact Bill was using humans in the first place. The amulet maker knew his history lessons, and the myths and legends he was told at school and by his parents.

Tenney didn’t seem to notice the wizard’s irritation, but appeared to be annoyed as well, although for an entirely different reason. His whole life he had heard remarks about not having abilities, and he was pretty tired of it by now. On top of that, the actual words Ford used were a bit offensive, but the charioteer knew better than to try to explain this to the mage. Really, the more magic someone had, the less likely they were to actually care about people’s feelings. Or maybe that depended on the individual, but so far, the strongest wielders were also the rudest, especially to people who weren’t able to wield any magic themselves. Tenney clenched his jaw for a second before leaning over the map. Ford handed him a quill to mark where they would have to go. There were quite a few places where the crystals these two needed could be found. The charioteer contemplated sending them to one far away from their residence but decided against it. He did mark all the places where they could go though, so they would have the choice to still go the one on the other side of the country. When he was done, Tenney looked at Ford. “Well, that’s about it. If that was all, I was sorting through some stuff at home and I would like to get back to that.” He tried his hardest to not sound sarcastic, but a look from Fidds made clear that he didn’t succeed completely. Neither wielder reacted to the tone though, they were way too focussed on studying the map. “There is one not too far away from here.” The amulet maker let his hand slide over the map, clearly trying to calculate the distances they would have to travel to each of the locations. Ford nodded thoughtfully. “Tenney, which one of these places has the most potent crystals? And with a decent quantity.” He asked, and the charioteer leaned over once again. “I would say you would have to go to this one.” He eventually answered, tapping the one up in the mountain. “They are easy to find but hard to reach. Shadow travellers are somewhat of a rare occurrence, so most of the time people who want to get there have to rely on other forms of travelling. But if you can make it up the mountain, you should be fine.”

They eventually settled on going to the mountain. Fidds had to admit it was the best choice, despite the fact he didn’t really look forward to shadow travelling to and from that altitude. As soon as Tenney left, Bill returned, and Ford informed him of the plan. The demon nodded casually, giving a nasty look at Fidds as he set his hand on the mage’s shoulder, seemingly listening intently to what the man had to say. In reality, Bill already knew what was to come, but he couldn’t help himself but rub the amulet maker’s nose in the fact Ford trusted him, which honestly was a terrible idea. Never trust a demon. But hey, the mage didn’t know about that, so it was all good, right? When Fidds glared at him, Bill just winked. Ford didn’t see any of it, just explained the plan and the route they would take. The demon stretched and chuckled. “Sixer, you’re a genius as always. Perfect location, hard to get to because most of the people who need to be there don’t have very convenient _friends_.” He spoke up, putting a nasty emphasis on that last word, causing the amulet maker to want to throw something at him. “Oh yes, I am very lucky to have Fidds on my side. Wouldn’t know what to do without him at times.” The mage muttered to himself, causing Bill to frown and the wizard to go a bright red. “Thank you.” He muttered, and the mage looked up with a smile. “Of course, Fiddleford. We have been friends for how long now? I mean, you managed to get Stan to like you. And that is impressive. I haven’t seen my brother like many people.” The amulet maker rubbed the back of his head. Bill was fascinated. Apparently, Ford wasn’t an only child. Interesting, more toys to play with. If this ‘Stan’ would show up in Gravity Falls too of course. Perhaps it would be a good idea to ask around a little. The demon had his contacts across the kingdom, and it probably shouldn’t take too much effort to find Stan Pines.

But first it was time to take a trip. Fidds refused to bring the demon along, which confused Ford greatly. Bill waved the concerns away. “I can follow you either way. Don’t bother making a fuss.” He chuckled and vanished in thin air, only to reappear when Fidds landed at the halfway point they had determined beforehand. They would stay there for about half an hour before making the final jump. While the sheer distance could have been covered in one jump, altitude always required a lot of focus, and the amulet maker had insisted on putting in a break halfway through. Ford had been reluctant but agreed that Fidds shouldn’t put himself at risk of dissolving. Bill chuckled when he saw the amulet maker blow out a bit of smoke when they landed. The mage had a green tint on his face. He really didn’t like this way of travel, no matter how much faster it was than travelling by horse or carriage. Fidds had assured him that at some point he would get used to it, but Ford wasn’t sure if he wanted to get used to feeling his body turn into nothing but shadow and almost literally being thrown in the wind. But he withheld from complaining when his friend took his hand a little while later and got them to their destination. Bill appeared as soon as they landed and set his mismatched eyes on the cave in front of them. “So much potential right under their nose.” He mumbled to himself, struggling to not add ‘humans are stupid’ to the end of the sentence. They wasted so much talent so often. Ford stretched and looked at the cave as well. “This will do. Now let’s hope we can get enough of them right away. It’s time to get this over with.” He muttered to himself, and Bill couldn’t agree more. His patience was starting to run a little thinner. Best not to drag this out much longer. He had been waiting long enough for this.


	4. How much power is too much power?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fidds and Ford collect the crystals in the cave, and start working on getting the formation right. If everything works out, they will finally be done, and then maybe they can get the hell away from Bill. But the demon has his own plans for the outcome, and there really isn't anything stopping him from getting what he wants.

**More than they bargained for.**

“You keep saying that your abilities aren’t suited for combat, but when I see you split rocks like they are made of cheese, I can’t help but think you would be very helpful in case of a war breaking out.” Fidds commented while Ford did exactly what he just said. When they entered the cave, even the amulet maker had blinked a couple of times at the sight. While he had been in crystal mines before, none of them had been so heavily packed with what they needed as this one. From the outside, it just looked like it would give them a decent amount with little trouble, but once inside, even the demon had trouble containing his excitement. Other than the comment that these crystals were exactly what they needed, Bill had not been of any help at all. He had turned his attention towards a very large one in the middle of the cave, and just spent the time studying it closely, leaving the two men to sort themselves out and decide which ones they would take. Fidds rolled his eyes a few times at the sight of the demon mumbling to himself about the giant, light yellow pillars of crystallized rock. Yes, the size was impressive, but it was far from practical, and they wouldn’t take it with them when they headed back.

The amulet maker was in charge of determining the quality of each crystal before they decided if they wanted to utilize it. Then it was Ford who put his own abilities to work and cracked the rocks open to free the materials they needed. It was hard, and needed very precise cutting, due to the density of crystals in this cave. Fidds could feel them buzz around him and had the feeling he was vibrating with them. The sun shone on the ones closest to the entrance, and the light was reflected to every side of the room, causing it to light up in every possible colour, which mixed into a pleasant white light. They lucked out with it because Ford had not brough any lanterns. He could have used one of his abilities to illuminate what he was doing, but as Fidds had told him, it was dangerous to use too much magic in a place like this. Another reason why Ford was being so careful with the cutting of the rocks: one wrong move and he would accidentally charge the crystal instead of freeing it. And Bill? Even the demon refrained from pulling tricks while surrounded by so many things that could suck up his powers just as much as they could suck up a human’s. Not that he wanted to since he was still occupied with that damn crystal. Fidds wondered why the demon wanted to come along in the first place, until he realized it was to keep an eye on them both. Since that little outburst, that unintended reveal of his emotional involvement, Bill wasn’t going to let the amulet maker be alone with the mage for very long, not if he could help it. And indeed, he caught a few sly glances in his direction, which he immediately answered with an intense glare. The demon just seemed amused by that reaction, and still didn’t even attempt to help.

Bill tilted his head for a second and set a hand to the yellow glowing crystal he had been studying for what felt like hours. It wasn’t because of the colour that he felt drawn to it. He could read these rocks at least as well as Fidds appeared to do, and while it wasn’t practical for the project the two humans were working on, the demon had other ideas with this thing. When he focussed, he could feel a slight buzz come from the inside of the crystal, like an unknown energy that was waiting to be released into the world. Curiously, Bill tried to reach out through the astral plane to the powers locked in place by this crystal cave. A few sparks went through him and a shiver went down his spine. A devilish grin formed around his lips for a second before he managed to pull himself together again. Not much longer did he have to play this game. Only until they would put together the construction necessary for what Ford wanted, did the demon have to continue to pretend he was only a guide. Fidds already knew, but also knew better than to expose Bill for what he was. No, he would finally get what he had been working for, and with a few extras as well, if he managed to play it out the way he hoped. The being looked up and saw that the two were done collecting the crystals. Ford seemed worn out, which made sense, considering the concentration he needed to make sure nothing went wrong during the removal of the crystals. Bill walked over and smiled. “Impressive harvest. You’d almost want to extend the day so you can keep working.” He teased lightly, but Ford gave him a look. “I really don’t. I am exhausted. Fidds, please tell me you have enough energy to get us back home.” The mage commented, carrying the final basket out. The amulet maker was occupied with attaching all of the crates, baskets, and bags to eachother so they could be moved together and didn’t answer right away.

When he was done, he got up and straightened his back, looking at the sunset. “I might need a little more rest in between the two jumps, considering what I have to take along with me, but otherwise it should be fine.” Fidds answered and gave a slight smile. That smile faltered when Bill moved to Ford’s side and set a hand on his shoulder. “I can take you home at once, help you sort out your research and make a list of what needs to be put in the crystals, so you can work more efficiently. So, you don’t have to sit around waiting for Fidds to get his energy back.” The demon mentioned casually, giving the amulet maker a grin, which irritated the man to no end. Luckily, the mage shook his head and glanced at the baskets. “I rather stay with the crystals on the journey home. And I don’t think it’s such a good idea to leave Fidds alone with them for that long, so we will all just travel together.” He answered and Bill shrugged. “Suit yourself. I will be waiting for you both at the halfway point then.” He vanished after that, leaving the two men to get ready for the journey home. The amulet maker looked at Ford and tilted his head to the side. “Are you ready? It’s only two jumps, sure you should be able to do it without throwing up?” He spoke up, trying to keep the light humour out of his voice. The mage grunted. “I got nothing to throw up anyway. Haven’t eaten since we left the house.”

They didn’t waste more time. Ford grabbed Fiddleford’s hand and they dissolved into shadows, only to appear again at the point where they took a break on the way to the cave. Bill was already waiting there, looking a little bit more reasonable than when they were in the cave, but it soon became clear why that was. The mage was really not feeling well and sank to his knees as soon as the amulet maker let go of him to start the process of ejecting the black smoke from his body. Bill passed him a bottle of extract that helped ease that problem without even looking at him. The demon just went directly over to Ford. “How strong is your healing magic?” He spoke softly, but the mage shook his head. “I’m not injured. Just burned out. Those crystals really take a lot.” He muttered, his face white as snow. Bill glanced at Fidds for a second. In the back of his head he knew this probably infuriated the amulet maker, but it wasn’t even his main goal right now. He was genuinely concerned about Ford. After hesitating for a second, the demon removed the amulet from the mage’s neck. Immediately sparks started shooting from the man’s fingers, but at least the colour returned to his face, and he looked less exhausted. “Downside from supressing your abilities for too long.” Bill explained, holding the amulet up for Ford to take. “It will keep you more stable, but also slows down the refill of your reserves. It’s good that we go the crystals now, so you can live your life without this thing.”

Fidds glared shortly. He knew the downside of wearing those things, but usually they would last someone for months. It was only because Ford had been using this much of his abilities that he was burning out now. He did acknowledge the fact he probably should have told the mage about it, but he didn’t want his friend to take it off and become unstable while being surrounded by crystals that would soak up every bit of stray magic that they would be leaking. He sighed deeply, downed the bottle of extract, and stretched his back. They would soon move on to the house, eat something, and get some sleep before starting the process of putting the crystals in the right formation for Ford to finish his project. Hopefully, everything would become slightly more normal after that, and Bill would be able to get out of their lives. He wouldn’t be needed anymore, and that alone gave the amulet maker the strength to keep his mouth shut about the concealed insults. He just sat down on a rock and took a few deep breaths, glad that the extract did seem to take care of the effects shadow travelling had on him. Bill wasn’t all bad, just had the most terrible intentions. Maybe the end of the world wasn’t the demon’s end goal, but it might as well have been. It just didn’t mean that everything he did was bad. It might change once they were no longer useful for him, but with the feelings Bill had developed for Ford, who knew what would happen? They might be looking at a worse fate than they thought. The demon had not been very clear about that. He still hoped that once the plan was set in motion, Bill would do something to reveal his true nature, giving Fidds and his friend the opportunity to get out of reach.

All he could do right now though, was bite his tongue and just reach out to Ford, to get them home. Because the mage wasn’t wearing his amulet anymore, it felt like the amulet maker was being shocked when he took Ford’s hand. He didn’t comment on it, just got them home immediately and sank down on a chair. The trip had been exhausting and he was worn out. The mage didn’t look much better, causing Bill to roll his eyes when he materialized in the middle of the room. “Humans.” He mumbled to himself, glancing at the kitchen. Really? Was he really going this far for those two? And if he was, why would he actually do it himself? The demon rolled his eyes again and just sat down in a random chair and let the kitchen ware prepare food without him actually contributing to it himself. Bill wasn’t about to actually put effort into this, but he did want to keep these humans alive, especially until the plan was completed. And he was so close he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, and now that he had Fidds breathing in his neck in a way he had not expected, he would have to be extra careful to make sure Ford wouldn’t suspect a thing. The amulet maker was useful with the powers he had, but Ford was the main prize. Not only was he the stronger wielder of the two, but he was also just downright more interesting to the demon. Nothing against Fidds, but Bill simply had a type. And why was he defending his own thoughts to himself again? As far as he knew, the wizard didn’t have telepathic abilities, and neither did Ford, so there was no reason to defend his own thoughts. Perhaps he had been around humans for too long and was starting to adopt their annoying bad habits. Alright, that’s it. Time to get out of there before he’d go the wrong kind of insane. He did make sure that they would find food in the kitchen though. But that was a one-time thing. He was not going to turn that into a habit.

The two humans did make use of it though. Even Fidds didn’t question the meal for one second. They were too tired to really think about anything right now. Tomorrow would be soon enough to get started with the construction. They didn’t speak much for the remainder of the day, only to shortly talk about the plan for the next phase, but even that was short lived. It more or less was food and then straight to bed. Ford was the first to pass out, and while Fidds knew that the mage had to properly recharge his energy after being in the crystal cave for so long, he did put the amulet back on, just to save them both from a broken night because Ford accidentally set something on fire in his sleep. After that, the amulet maker passed out too. Bill watched them for a while from his own dimension. He didn’t quite know what to think of it, how he was reacting to these two. Going soft for humans was really unlike him, and he didn’t exactly appreciate it. But on the other hand, it might come in handy when the final phase of this plan would be set in motion, because the more fond he was of his humans, the less likely he was going to accidentally kill them. Still, helping them out like this had to stop. He was a Demon, not a common maid. He wasn’t his brother. Alright, his brother was on his mind way too often too. Perhaps because Bill was about to get back at his family for that incident years ago, but that didn’t mean he wanted to think about his coward of a brother at all. The demon rolled his eyes and then shifted his attention to another part of this plan. If he wanted the council gone and other people in charge, or in this case, himself, he would have to make sure he had his followers ready and warned that the shift was finally coming. Putting the crystals in the right formation didn’t have to take long, and there was very little that could possibly go wrong from now on, meaning that it was time to finally prepare the rest. And so, he left the two men alone, out of his sight for a while, trusting that they would figure out what to do once they would wake up. After all, his direct involvement was largely unnecessary for a while. There was only one thing he would have to look out for while those two sorted the formation out.

The result was that Bill hardly showed his face in the house for over a week. Fidds wasn’t exactly complaining about that, but Ford was concerned that his exhaustion had caused his guide to change his mind. The amulet maker assured the mage that it was probably nothing. And they had too much work to do to ponder over it for too long. The crystals had to be sorted and marked, to start with. Luckily there still was a spare room in the house, where they could work in peace. Fidds put his own skills to work and devised a secure lock for the room. It worked roughly the same as an amulet, only with a key. He also made Ford a special pair of gloves, of course with an extra finger, with smaller amulets imbedded into them, so it was safer for the mage to work with the crystals. The amulet maker himself was less bothered by them, mainly because he was used to working with them, but also because he had less power to begin with. He had never seen that as a disadvantage, and with this project, he was actually grateful to be just a little less powerful. Either way, they started with the sorting. Ford was glad he had Fidds by his side for this job. It was good to have someone with him who worked with those things for a living. He himself was limited in his knowledge about them and he knew that. He wouldn’t directly admit it, but that was more because he didn’t have to. The amulet maker knew very well why he had been called in for the project. And he was not going to make Ford say it again. Except maybe if Bill came back.

After they had the crystals sorted, the two started making combinations, to test the waters and to see how different kinds would work together. At that point Bill started showing up again, but he didn’t say much yet just watched them as they worked. His mismatched eyes seemed to flicker, but Ford didn’t notice it and Fidds kept his mouth shut. He had no choice: the best way to get Bill out of Ford’s life was by completing this project as fast as possible and getting the mage as far away from the kingdom as possible. All he needed was to play ball a little longer. The amulet maker focussed on his work after catching a smirk on the demon’s face, sighing deeply. Ford was sitting on his knees on the floor, switching around a few of the crystals. The gloves worked very well. They would have been an issue while he was working to cut the things out in the cave, but here they worked really well to keep him from leaking any power before they were ready to get the things to store his energy. Bill walked up to him and set a hand on his shoulder, his two different eyes scanning over the temporary set-up. “You’re working so fast.” The demon spoke up, then crouched down and switched a few crystals around. “Maybe this works. It’s much more focussed this way.” He mentioned, and Ford tilted his head. “I suppose if we do a different formation around it. Fidds, what do you think of this one?” The mage looked up at his friend. The amulet maker let his hand slide over the small circle of crystals in the middle and focussed for a second. “It is very focussed, yes. I wonder if it’s not risky to put them like this though.” He answered eventually.

Bill shook his head and hoovered over the formation, taking the middle one out and handing it to Ford. “Not if you remove this one until you’re done with putting them all in place.” He chuckled, and Fidds did his best not to glare at him. The mage didn’t see it but looked back at the remaining crystals. “I think this would actually solve a lot of our problems, but if we do it the way you propose, we will need your help to put the final crystal into place.” He mentioned and the demon nodded. “That seems fair. I have to be here anyway, to distribute the kinds of magic you still have to do. But if you keep going at the speed you’re currently working at, it shouldn’t take too long. Maybe another week at most. But do stay focussed, we don’t want anything to go wrong now, don’t we? We’re so close to finishing it, and if we do, we finally put some sense into this kingdom.” He chuckled a little, but this time Fidds had to admit the demon had a point. The kingdom so far did not impress him. Yes, out there he was always looked at a little strange, due to his powers, but at least there was some form of functioning leadership that kept the order. Gravity Falls seemed to exist solely at the whim of magic, and not even stable magic. Yes, that kid, Dan Corduroy, had been good at what he did, but Fidds wouldn’t exactly call the kid stable. And if Ford could contribute to taking care of the council, and turning this realm into something that actually worked, it would only be good. But hopefully that would be done without the demon there. The amulet maker hoped that Bill would stay away until the very last day, but he knew that was probably in vain. But well, at least this time the creature had done something useful.

Ford just stretched and went back to arranging crystals in silence. Bill stood back and watched over the formation. A small smile passed his face for a moment before he removed himself from the room and went back to the living room to sit in silence, and brood on his plans for a while. He could do that in his home dimension too, of course, but he felt like annoying Fidds, so he stayed in the house. Actually, he did that a lot while the two men continued puzzling with the pattern. The amulet maker was slowly teaching Ford how to work with them, how they interacted, and which combinations were dangerous. Some groups should simply not be mixed. Bill occasionally walked in on them and watched them work, mostly in silence, but switching a few crystals around every now and then. The way he placed them was much more focussed than the way Fidds would have chosen, and he wondered what the demon was planning to do with this formation. Ford still seemed to trust the being way too much, and the amulet maker had to wait until his friend left the room before he could actually confront Bill. “Are you trying to rip everything to pieces? I thought you liked Ford?” He asked under his breath when the mage was making food for him and Fidds. The demon shook his head. “I am not, no. But trust me, you want those things to be as focussed as possible, or this is not going to work.” He answered with a relaxed smirk on his face. Fidds rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t trust you with repairing my shoes, let alone with Ford’s life and sanity. If they are too focussed, he will be torn to bits and you can’t tell me you don’t know that.” He snapped, but Bill gave a simple nod. “I know, but don’t worry, I am not about to let my toys get damages, am I?” He then smirked, and Fidds gave a glare. “Just because you roped Ford in to a point I can hardly believe, doesn’t mean I will just follow him into your arms. I am not your toy, and I will make sure he won’t stay it either.” He hissed but Bill was hardly impressed. “Suit yourself.” The demon spoke up before vanishing. He had other things to take care of.

Finally, the formation was finished. Ford took a step back after the last crystal was put into place. He could feel it already: the faint buzz of the energy. And they weren’t even charged yet. This would help him so much, maybe he wouldn’t have to actually take on any of the powers again. The crystals would bring them up at his command, and he could study them without risking his life and sanity. Fiddleford circled it once, taking note of the position of every single piece of crystal in the formation. Bill stood back, toying with the final piece. They were so close, he could feel the excitement, not only from Ford, but also in himself. His golden eye flickered. Fidds made a point of not looking in his direction even once, but he didn’t care. Soon the two humans would be at his feet, along with everyone else. Was he still getting ahead of himself? Maybe, but not nearly as much as before. The end goal was within reach, and there was hardly anything that could possibly go wrong. The demon had his people ready. They were standing by, ready to pledge loyalty as soon as everything had settled. So, when the amulet maker finished the final check and stood next to the mage, Bill had trouble containing himself. “It’s perfect. They are all in the right place and we can proceed.” Fidds spoke up, and the demon almost hissed. Why were they still talking about it then? Get on with it already. Now that they were so close, Bill had very little patience left. His gaze was fixed on Ford who crouched down. The mage would first pump the abilities he had been given into the crystals. Then the demon would add the ones that were still left to the formation, and then the final piece would be put into place. And then finally, the activation. That final spark.

Fidds stood behind Ford and removed the amulet from the mage’s neck, who then set his hands on the nearest pieces of rock. The colour, as expected, was a shade of brownish red that reminded them all of rust. Ford’s aura. Fidds had learned long ago that his own aura was a light green that reminded him of the first leaves on plants in the spring. It struck him as odd, but he wasn’t quite sure why. Aura colours were not something one could choose. He just watched for now, making sure that every bit of energy Ford discharged properly went into the crystals. There was very little risk of this going wrong now, the rocks would soak up all he could give. The only thing the mage had to do was be careful he wouldn’t pump in too much of his powers. But it seemed that Ford was aware of it, and he stopped in time. When he got up again, he was pale, but his eyes glimmered. He wouldn’t mention it in front of his guide, but the mage felt a lot better than he had done in weeks. With the excess power out of his system, he finally had full control over himself again. No more sparking, no more dreaded feeling of slowly going unstable. Ford felt like himself again, perhaps even better than that. It was a good idea to study every power first-hand, but perhaps the way they had initially been executing the plan was not the best idea. That didn’t mean Bill was wrong, it just meant that they had been forced to go a different direction, and the mage had to admit it looked very nice. The formation of the crystals was not only functional, but it was also aesthetically pleasing.

Bill didn’t really care about that. He just circled the crystals until he was on the opposite side from Fidds and Ford. He could feel the lingering energy too and it made him almost ecstatic. He crouched down, sliding a finger over the rocks, letting out a soft hum. He knew what this would unleash when he added his own energy to the mix, and he was more than ready for it too. So, he didn’t wait too long before he got up and made a gesture as if he was throwing the energy out over the crystals. It was an entirely different way of working than what Ford did, but it was effective, because his arm seemed to release a shockwave in a bright yellow that made the two men blink black spot away for a few seconds. When they looked up, the demon had both his hands raised and was sending a continuous stream of light into the rock, which seemed to soak up every bit of power they were given. Bill’s mismatched eyes glimmered with a wicked energy that even made Ford take a step away from the formation. He had never seen his guide act like this before and it concerned him greatly. For the first time, the mage seemed to realize that besides a great tool for his studies, they had also built a power source strong enough to wipe out a small army in an instant. Better to keep that under wraps until the work was done completely, otherwise this could very easily be misused by the wrong people. For a second, Ford’s mind went to Stan, but he pushed that away almost immediately. His brother as irresponsible and stubborn as a mule, but not out for this amount of destruction, and it wasn’t fair to even think about him in this situation.

Eventually Bill let the light die down. Fidds was staring at him with a strange expression on his face. It was a mix of fear, anger, and reluctant admiration almost. This much power not being used against people directly was a rare display from the demon, and he wasn’t planning on making a habit of it. Even for him, it was a lot of power to pump into something else at once and he was slightly out of breath, but his grin was wide as ever when he looked up. “So that was that.” He made it sound like he did things like this all day and the amulet maker rolled his eyes, out of view from Ford. The demon took a step back from the crystals and closed his eyes, taking in the sensation of so much concentrated power so close to him. While he technically packed this much energy in himself at any given time, it was different to feel it out there on display. It was almost a shame that it would be used for the purpose they had selected. Or rather, the one Bill was intending. Fidds had a vague idea of what this would be doing, but even he had no idea how far the consequences would go. And now that the power was in place, all that was left was to put the final piece into place and then activate it. The demon was ready, but he made a point this time to see if the two men were ready too. The energy was about to burst, and he really wanted to avoid them both dying from the shockwave. Especially Ford would preferably not get too damaged from all of this. Maybe a little bit to tone down his attitude, but nothing more than that. And Fidds, well, better to keep that man alive too. The amulet maker was very entertaining and might be useful for future plans on top of that. So yes, the demon did check if they had enough focus and energy to witness the activation of what they had created.

Ford seemed ready, and almost as eager as Bill was. Fidds seemed less ready, but he did have the focus and energy to experience it now. And so, the demon walked over to the table where he had put the last piece and picked it up, turning it in his hands a couple of times while charging it. The mage was staring at him and Bill realized he had that wicked grin on his face again. He tried to tone it down, but Ford’s discomfort didn’t lessen. “Bill, you’re acting a bit weird, are you sure everything is alright?” He asked, not completely sure what to think of all this. Behind his back, Fidds gave the demon a smirk. He had always known one day Bill would give himself away, and it appeared Ford was finally picking up on it too, thank heavens. If only the mage would wise up completely now, and get away from the demon, they could get out of there before everything would go south. The plan was set in motion to the point that even if they would leave now, Bill could, and probably would, finish it without them there. They were no longer needed, and if it had been up to Fidds, he would have grabbed Ford and taken him out of there immediately, but he knew what he would get if he tried that. And besides, with the crystals so close, there was a chance the amulet maker wouldn’t be able to properly maintain his focus and land them in an even worse situation. No, Fidds wasn’t happy with this, especially not because he saw very well that despite his discomfort, Ford wanted to continue with this. He wanted to finish the hard work he had done and see the result. A trait of the man that had been very useful and even praised while they were still at school, but now it was a liability. The amulet maker remembered how well the stubbornness was perceived at the Academy, how the urge to get to the bottom of everything and see things through to the end had been beneficial to the mage’s success. Fidds had admired it in his friend, but now it annoyed him to no end.

Bill let go of the crystal, which remained floating in mid-air. With calm, controlled moves, the demon let float over to the formation. The men didn’t see it, but to keep it on track so close to the rest of the charged crystals wasn’t easy. The rocks were pulling the final piece down, and their combined strength was impressive. One wrong move and the thing would come crashing down, and the shockwave wouldn’t go in the direction he wanted, nor would it be enough to get the result he was aiming for. So, he worked with great care, a lot more than he usually did. Ford watched in silence, so did Fidds. No matter how much he wanted to sabotage the grand plan of the demon, he didn’t want to put everyone in this house, or the nearby village, at risk, just to maybe mess up Bill’s plans. His grey eyes were fixated on the floating crystal, and he followed its course over the formation, until it slowly lowered, right in the middle, where it glimmered as a strange, rocky copy of Bill’s golden eye. The demon joined the two humans again, and together they stared at the finalized formation for a minute. “I can only speak for myself, but I think that we did something impressive. No matter what happens after this, we can always say that we created this. And as far as I can feel, it is exactly what it was intended to be.” He spoke up after that minute, failing to erase every trace of pride from his voice. Ford nodded thoughtfully, and even Fidds had to admit that it was impressive. He could feel himself vibrate just a little bit, simply due to the massive amount of power in front of them. Ford felt the same, and his eyes were filled with many things, pride, expectation, determination, and awe. Bill just felt that immense urge to continue, to turn it on.

There was nothing that could delay this anymore. Ford got closer again. It was no longer safe to directly touch it, but that wouldn’t be necessary. All he had to do was let his fingers spark again, but this time on purpose. Then he would have to aim it at the middle crystal, which would send a ripple through the entire formation and activate it for use. The mage took a deep breath and focussed. One finger on his right hand would be enough to start it. Once he was sure he would be able to shoot the spark, he aimed for the middle one. Bill made sure he was close to Ford, for several reasons. He didn’t want to miss it, and he would have to pull the man away from the direct line of fire before it would fully go off. Fidds wasn’t far away either, he still didn’t trust the demon at all, and he had to admit he also wanted to see what it would look like once this thing would go off. He knew what it could look like, powers that had gotten out of control. Something told him that this would be a lot more impressive than that, considering the amount of raw energy they had. Alright, he had been thinking about that sheer amount enough now. The moment of truth was there, and it was time to see how much of his true nature the demon would show during it. Fidds tried to catch Ford’s eyes, but the mage was focussed on what he had to do. Right as the amulet maker opened his mouth to speak a word of encouragement, Ford let go. The spark went off and shot directly towards the middle crystal. Bill’s mismatched eyes followed the spark, saw how it made contact, and let out a laugh. Both Fidds and Ford nearly jumped out of their skin when that happened, and it distracted them from what truly happened when the ripple went through the formation. They didn’t see the eye with the slit pupil that lit up in every single one of them for less than half a second.

Then it exploded. Bill pushed Ford and Fidds out of the way, his gaze still fixated on the crystals. The last thing he saw before the shockwave came was a bright yellow beam that shot straight up, into the sky, where it turned and shot in a certain direction. It would find its target without needing further guidance. A smirk spread over the demon’s face. He could hardly believe his own eyes. It worked, his carefully executed plan had the intended effect, and it was absolutely beautiful. Then the secondary shockwave came, and he was slammed into a wall. His grin never faltered, but the ancient creature went out like a candle in the wind. Even for him, it had been a lot of power, and this human form wasn’t as resilient as his original, triangular shape. Hopefully Fidds and Ford had been at a sufficient distance to keep them alive.

It didn’t take too long for Bill to come to his senses again, but it was long enough to make him slightly disoriented. He got up from the ground and looked at the crystal formation. The stones had turned black, they were burned out. The demon smiled at the sight, then looked around. Most of the house was still intact. There was a hole in the roof where the beam had shot through, but other that that, everything seemed alright. Fidds had been thrown into a corner, where he still was, like a crumpled heap of wizard. Luckily, he was still breathing. Ford was on the other side of the roof, stretched out and motionless. Bill went over to him to check, and to his relief, the mage was still alive. “Well done, Sixer. You successfully put an end to the antics of the council.” He muttered and got up. Time to briefly return to his home world to contact all of his people at once. But when he tried, a sharp headache forced him to his knees. Bill groaned and rubbed his temples. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He waited until the pain was gone, then tried to take his less vulnerable, triangular shape. Once again, he felt some sort of blockage, combined with a sharp pain, this time in his abdomen. Dammit. He had not expected side-effects from this plan, and the demon really didn’t like the idea of being cut off from his home world. Of course, he still had other options, but it was still concerning. In the end, Bill used a similar technique to Fidds to get him and the still unconscious Ford to the castle, before sending out messages to his people. The demon smirked a bit when he found the castle filled with a lot of dead bodies, including the full Council of Mages. A new era had arrived. Gravity Falls had a new king, and his name was Bill Cipher. And there was nothing that could stop him anymore.


	5. Just across the border of reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William wakes up with a strange feeling, but his husband Stanford discards it, on the grounds it is probably just Stanley causing them trouble again. William leaves to go help some people, and Stanford receives a troubling message. Perhaps the prince was right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick heads-up! This might sound completely unrelated to the previous chapters, but it is not! It very much is part of the same story, and you will find out more soon enough! Enjoy!

**Who said there’s just one way to do it?**

Early morning, and Alain tiptoed into the bedroom where he found the prince still fast asleep. The boy silently passed by the large four poster, to the window, where he pulled the light curtains open. The morning sun fell through the window, on the face of the blue haired figure under the covers. It didn’t take long before William Cipher shifted a little, pulled out of a dream by the sudden light on his eyelids. Alain smiled a little and opened the window, letting the morning breeze blow over his own face for a second before stepping aside, right as the prince sat up and stretched. “Good morning Alain.” He spoke up, and the servant bowed lightly. “Good morning, your highness. It’s a beautiful day. It is getting warmer too, summer is approaching fast, don’t you think?” He spoke softly, but it seemed William wasn’t really listening. Usually he would ask the boy to stop bowing. He’d long given up on trying to make him stop calling him ‘your highness’, due to customs when there were guests present. But today the prince slid out of bed without addressing the bow at all. Instead he walked over to the window and leaned out, taking a deep breath. “Something has changed.” He spoke, and Alain tilted his head, concerned. “What do you mean, your highness? Is something wrong?” He asked, walking over to the wardrobe to get the prince into the right clothing for today.

But William was distracted. Yesterday evening he had gone to bed like any other day. Everything had been going well, and it had promised to be a quiet week, with very few visits from any of the nobles in the kingdom. But now, something did not feel right. He set his gaze to East, lightly squinting against the early morning sun. Somewhere out there was the castle where his brother in law was a Lord, but William didn’t believe didn’t think that was the source of the coldness he felt. It went too deep for that, into his heart in a way. He shivered lightly, his hand gripping the windowsill a little tighter. Alain saw it and was beside the prince almost immediately. “Your highness, what’s wrong? Do you feel alright?” He asked concerned, but William shook his head. “It is nothing, Alain. I feel fine. I just need to talk to Stanford about something, that is all.” He turned away from the window and smiled as he saw the clothes the kid had put out for him. Whenever it was just a tunic with pants, he knew he was in for a quiet day, which he was eternally grateful for, considering the feeling he had. It wouldn’t go away, and that was enough for the prince to know he had to consult this with his husband. If it really was what he thought it was, this might very well be the last quiet morning in a long time. Despite the fact he didn’t really like that prospect, William knew very well this was not something he should hide. He still was responsible for his people after all, and it was his duty to keep them safe.

He turned to the servant boy, who was still studying him with a concerned look on his face. “I can assure you that I am fine, Alain. Did you eat yet?” He asked with a soft smile. The kid shook his head and William sighed deeply. “Go to the kitchen then. Make sure to have your fill, it’s important to stay healthy.” He said thoughtfully, a pale finger sliding over the leaf pattern embroidered in his light blue tunic. Alain nodded quietly and bowed. “Yes, your Highness, thank you.” He answered, turning on his heel to leave the prince to get dressed. “Afterwards, go to the stables. Make sure Zefilwen is well cared for. I might need him soon, and I asked the farrier to look at his front legs.” William said friendly as the boy left his room. Then he got dressed. The prince preferred to do that on his own, only when he would be wearing the full set of silver jewellery did, he require help. Today, he only wore his wedding ring: a simple, silver triangle on his left hand. He knew that many people, even the servants in the castle, whispered over the simplicity of it. He had tried to explain to them that this was a design of his own choice, but the whispers never fully stopped. William didn’t care for confrontation and left them to their own ideas. The ring made him happy, and that was all that mattered. He slipped into his shoes first before leaving the room. He expected to find his husband in the great hall for breakfast, and he wasn’t disappointed. He did find Stanford there, talking to the head of the guards: Fiddleford McGucket. William greeted them before taking his normal seat on Stanford’s right. The knight reluctantly bowed shortly before returning his attention to the king. It was a formality, but sometimes they all wished it was one they could drop. The prince really wished people would stop folding themselves in half every time he entered a room, and Fiddleford on his turn did not particularly like having to bow for the prince. Stanford was just mildly irritated by the fact his conversation got interrupted.

William waited patiently until the knight bowed lightly for Stanford and removed himself from the room. During that, servants had already brought in breakfast, all fresh from the nearby farms. While he was only prince, William was very clear about the way the farmers, and everyone else for that matter, treated the lands they tended to. The kingdom prospered, and he wanted to keep it that way, and well-maintained fields were a basic of that. After all, without the farmers to grow the crops and tend the animals, they would a starve to death. So yes, the demon prince made a point of making sure those who were responsible for the land were well-equipped and treated with the respect they deserved. His husband was much more focussed on the politics that came with running a country anyway and was more than happy to leave this to William. And the result was clearly showing. The king didn’t deny it either, and they enjoyed a healthy breakfast without being disturbed. Other people inhabiting the castle walked in and out the great hall. Some sat down at one of the long tables to eat their own breakfast, others simply passed through. The two royals paid it no mind, if anyone needed their attention, they would come forward. Until then, they sat mostly in silence until they were both done.

It was after they both had their fill that Stanford turned toward the prince and gave a smile. “I have not even told you good morning, darling. I hope you slept well.” He spoke calmly, and William gave a nod. “I slept just fine; it was waking up that brought concern.” He answered, his eyes going over the great hall one more time before fixing on his husband. The king tilted his head. “What do you mean? Did Alain make you wait for him? I told him to be there when you woke up. Very irritating when his tardiness slows down your morning.” He spoke thoughtfully, and the prince was quick to assure him that wasn’t the case. “Not at all. Alain was right on time, as he always is. But no. I’m afraid we might have an issue in the East.” He spoke up, and Stanford’s gaze immediately darkened. “I know that we have an issue in the East, my dear. We have had that issue since the very day I put that ring on your finger.” He answered, placing his rather large hand with an extra little finger over William’s, his thumb sliding over the ring. The demon prince blushed a little. “That’s not what I mean, Stanford. I do not think this comes from lord Stanley. I think this comes from my side of the family.” He then said, knowing it was important to get it out there, no matter how much he loved to avoid conflict. As always, the king’s mouth twitched slightly at the mention of his twin brother’s name. “I am sure it is nothing to worry about, William. You know he sometimes does things you pick up on, and it either goes away, or we are visited by a messenger. I am sure we can wait until then before we decide if it is necessary to take action.” He answered after thinking it over for a while. The prince was slightly frustrated but chose not to comment on it. Stanford usually had excellent judgement when it came to the nobles in the kingdom, although sometimes it got a little clouded when it came to Stanley. William decided it was best to just keep his senses out for now, rather than press the matter.

The prince got up from his seat after a while of them sitting in silence. “Perhaps you’re right. We will wait and see if a messenger comes to us, but if I can still sense it in three weeks and we have not been visited by one, I think we should go and visit the region. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to go either way. I know there is tension between you and your brother, but we cannot ignore our people because of it. It does not feel right.” William sighed deeply. This would not put his husband in a better mood, but he had little choice. It was something that had been bothering him for a while. The prince had not seen his in-laws in a long time, and it really did bug him that there was region of the kingdom they hardly visited if it could be helped. Especially considering it was so close to the border too. Stanford knew very well that William was right, and he was running out of excuses to go to that place. And yet, if he could have made a strong argument against it, he would have done so. Him and his brother under one roof had not been a good idea for a long time now. And he didn’t quite like the fact that the prince had put him on the spot like that. It could not be helped, but he was glad it was a very rare occurrence. Usually William trusted his judgement, which was good. Stanford was a very effective king, and under his reign, the kingdom had seen strong partnerships with neighbouring kingdoms, a decrease in conflicts between the nobles within the kingdom, and a profitable trading system. But sometimes, when it came to their people and the lands, William did best him. However, the king would not admit this to anyone, not even himself.

The prince excused himself and returned to his chambers to pick up his cloak. There was something he had to do, something that had been brought to his attention yesterday by one of the servants. He loved that travelling cloak. He’d made most of it himself, and it was very light, but waterproof, which was useful at times. He often travelled by carriage, but still, it didn’t hurt to have something to keep him dry if they had to be somewhere on a rainy day. Once he had the cloak, he hesitated for a few seconds before picking up the sheathed dagger Fiddleford had given him a while ago, just to make sure the prince wouldn’t be completely defenceless in the unlikely case something was to happen to him while he was out. Stanford didn’t need that assurance; he could handle a sword just fine. William had his powers to help him out, but it appeared that the knight felt better if he was carrying some sort of actual weapon. With a sigh, the demon prince attached it to his belt. Hopefully, this would stop his husband from insisting he’d take an escort with him. He doubted it, but it was worth a try. William wasn’t quite sure why everyone seemed so adamant he needed other people to protect him. He wasn’t human, no matter how much he presented himself like one, and he could defend himself easily. And yet, perhaps it came with his status as prince that they just wanted to be sure he was safe. And Stanford, well, it made sense his husband cared about his safety. Either way, he did not particularly like being surrounded by guards all the time, but didn’t comment on it, figuring it wasn’t worth mentioning. The guards just wanted to protect him, and as long as it didn’t keep him from doing his work, he could live with it. Still, if Stanford would let him go without it, he’d be happier.

When William returned to the Great Hall, the king noticed him right away and tilted his head. “Darling, I sincerely hope you are not leaving to go visit my brother on your own.” He got up from his seat and walked over to the prince, who shook his head. “No, the river a few miles west from here has flooded, and I am going to see if I can help.” He gave a smile, and Stanford nodded thoughtfully. “I thought I heard some of the servants mention that the other day. I have to say, it is rather close to the castle. Are you feeling alright, my dear?” The king now did sound concerned, which was not that strange. After all, William’s well-being was tied to the kingdom, and an increase of natural disasters usually indicated something was bothering the prince. “I have to admit I have been feeling more tired lately. We have been having many visits from the nobles, and I might have been more worried than I realized.” The blue haired royal confessed, and Stanford set his hands on his husband’s arms. “My dear, if you are tired, it’s really not a good idea to go alone.” He spoke softly, and William looked up with a slight smile. “It’s fine, I will only go to the farmer’s village, nothing will happen to me while I am there.” He tried, but the king shook his head. “I can’t risk having anything happen to you, my dear. I will tell Fiddleford to go with you, with a few more men. To keep you safe.” He insisted, and the prince just sighed. “I can look after myself, Stanford. I don’t need them to guard me all the time.” He just wanted to help out a few people, and he knew how intimidated the commoners got whenever a full parade did so much as pass their houses. But the king insisted, and eventually the demon prince gave in, trying to keep in mind they just wanted to keep him safe.

But when he had left for the stables, Stanford’s smile faded and turned into a frown. He would have preferred to go with William, but he had a few pressing matters to take care of in the castle, and he was well-aware of the fact that most of the farmers preferred to speak to the prince. Either they were too intimidated to approach him in person, or they did not trust him for an unclear reason. Either way, he leaned over to one of the guards and told him to go get Fiddleford. The knight showed up only minutes later and Stanford gestured for him to sit down. “You called, your majesty?” The blond man asked after taking a seat, not quite sure what this was about. As far as he knew, there was not much planned that required him today. “I did. William has decided to go visit the nearby village. Apparently, the river flooded. It’s rather concerning that this is happening this close to the castle.” The king mused, his brown eyes shortly drifting to the doors. Fiddleford frowned. “Do you think he is starting to suspect the cause of these events?” He asked carefully, but to his relief, Stanford shook his head. “Not at all. He seems to think the visits of the aristocracy left him more worried than he realized. It does mean we have to try to limit those visits for a while. He seems less uptight when we go to them, so I think it is time we go on a trip to visit a few counties. Sadly, there is a chance that this journey will include my brother’s lands.” He pressed his fingertips together and gave the table a rather dark gaze for a second. Fiddleford stiffened visibly, trying to decide on an emotion, or pull a neutral face. Eventually he settled on concern. “How big is that chance?” He asked carefully, and the king frowned. “Quite. There is a good chance my brother has been getting himself involved in some unwanted business. He’s been doing that too often.”

A silence fell between them for a while before Stanford turned to the knight. “Although, it would be a chance for you to visit your parental home. I am glad you came with me when my move here became more permanent, but I know you are hoping for a chance to visit home.” He smiled, his eyes darting towards his own wedding ring for a second. “My life here has been incredible so far, your majesty. But I would not say no to a chance to see the fields where I grew up.” The knight eventually answered. “But I fear, if we travel, the prince will be free of the silver for longer than when you receive the nobles here. Forgive me if I sound too bold, but I am not sure how much time I have if he must be watched at all times.” Fiddleford didn’t like his task of keeping track of William, who seemed to have a habit of wandering off with commoners much more often than necessary. A prince of the people, yes. But to him, it was a full-time job to keep the soft-spoken royal on track. Very irritating and taking away from other important duties. Stanford slid a thumb over his chin and then smiled. “I don’t think you need to worry too much. If I am forced to be anywhere near my brother, I am going to keep William by my side. Stanley will know that while he settled for the heritage, I reached out and eventually became king. I will enjoy watching him be forced to bow for me for once. And if he doesn’t want to ruin his reputation with my husband, he has very little choice.” There were certain perks that came with having a prince who was incredibly popular with the commoners. One of them was that no matter how much they disliked the king, nobody would openly disrespect him, not even his brother. “But we will discuss this once the moment comes; we actually do have to leave. For now, it is better if you don’t leave his royal highness waiting for much longer. Six of your men will be enough, I am sure. I do expect all of you back before dinner.”

With that, Fiddleford excused himself and collected half a dozen guards before making his way to the stables, where he found the prince right next to his white stallion, talking to the marshal about the flood. Apparently, everyone already knew about it. Probably one of the boys who came with the convoy told one of the chambermaids what was going on. For some reason, those girls spread news faster than wildfire, despite the fact they were always working. Very annoying, but not Fiddleford’s duty to put an end to it. If it became bothersome, Stanford would tell the steward to make it stop. The knight reached the two people and bowed lightly for William, who just sighed. “Your highness, his majesty told me to accompany you while you go to the flooded fields. My men are ready to follow.” He spoke up, hiding the reluctance he felt. The prince just nodded. “I am grateful for his concern, although it is not really necessary. The people there are very friendly, and I am perfectly safe around them. But I suppose, if he insists, I will not protest. I will ask not to terrify the people when we are there. They tend to get very intimidated by the guards, and I don’t wish to make them feel guest on their own land.” He answered, and Fiddleford gave a nod. That was a reasonable request, and one the knight would obey without feeling irritated about it. “Of course, we will be sure to remain composed. And his majesty is simply worried that there will be people with less than honest intentions. The people of this kingdom love you, your highness, and we want to avoid anyone from taking advantage of it.” It was a story drilled into the knight for years now. William had heard it before, but it did not always help him to accept the constant presence of those watchful eyes around him. “I know that, Fiddleford. And I am glad he looks out for me. But let’s not let the people wait for too long.” The prince eventually answered, getting on his horse.

The guards grouped around him and it didn’t take long before the small group of eight riders crossed the drawbridge, heading west. Fiddleford took the lead, directly followed by William. The prince was surrounded on the other three sides by the guards, and he had to really reign in his horse. Zefilwen was the fastest horse in the kingdom and didn’t allow anyone on his back unless the demon prince himself permitted it. It was rarely needed for the white stallion to push itself to its limits, but in the unlikely case William had to flee from an unsafe situation, he had his horse to get him to safety very quickly. A few times he did consider using that speed to pass his protectors, get some time to himself, but he never did. No reason to make anyone worry about him more than they already did. And he should focus on other things, like the fact he was outside, going somewhere to help his people, and free from those stiff protocols he got stuck with when the nobles were visiting. He knew those were just customs, but he could really do without it. Apparently, it was proof of respect for his status as prince. William didn’t need that. He would rather have their respect and trust because of his actions than his title. With Stanford in the position of king, the demon had just a little bit more freedom to ignore those protocols and speak with the nobles a bit more as equals. But still he could feel the distance with every bow, every time they were overpolite, and every time he caught them scolding a servant who dared to openly talk to the prince. As for the servants, they were even more uptight when it came to talking to him, as if he would throw them in a dungeon if they forgot to call him by his title every other sentence. He remembered a messenger who had been injured on the road and came into the throne room with a still bleeding wound on his side. William had immediately left his throne to catch the boy before he collapsed on the floor. Stanford had taken the letter, and the prince had taken the messenger to a room to recover.

William further remembered how the boy had insisted he was fine and that he needed not to worry. It had taken a lot of talking from the prince to be able to convince the boy to just lie down and let the royal put his healing powers to good use. Sometimes he worried people were going to die because they were more concerned with giving him the customary respect than their own health. This flood was a good example of that too. He had only been informed of it because he overheard the servants and then asked them to tell him what happened. And then the story only came out after they were done apologizing for gossiping while working. But eventually he was filled in, and now he was on his way to help. It really was close to the castle, and William wondered why. It was true that the visits of the nobles were more frequent lately, but he didn’t realize he had been this stressed about it. Either way, it felt good to be outside for a bit and to do something to help the people directly, instead of being focussed on the laws and the lords all the time. While the system worked, the prince regretted the fact he had so little direct contact with his people. Stanford insisted it was better like this anyway, because he was safer in the castle than out there, where bandits, rogue hunters and other hostile forces could be waiting for a moment of carelessness. The king did not share William’s trust in the people of the kingdom, which was a shame. It happened that the prince felt trapped within his role. It had contributed to his decision to leave his crown at home today. Not that it mattered much; his blue hair and heterochromia would give his identity away immediately. Not to even mention the guards who wore the royal emblem on their chest plates. No, there was no mistaking who arrived in the small village.

And when they did, the village mayor approached them and bowed deeply for the prince, who got off his horse. “Please get up, good man. I am not here for official inspections.” William assured the man, who stood straight and opened his mouth without any words coming out. He was speechless that the royal even took the time to care about their small village at all. “Your highness, I apologize for asking, but what does bring you here?” He asked eventually once he found his voice back. The prince gave a friendly smile and lead Zefilwen to the closest field where a few other horses were already grazing. A few younger men rushed in a helped to remove the saddle and reigns from the stallion, so he could graze freely as well. The mayor had walked with the blue haired royal, and William turned to him. “I am here because I heard the river flooded, and I would never turn my back on someone in need of help.” He answered, and the man widened his eyes. “I-I I don’t know what to say, your Highness. It did flood, but we didn’t send a messenger to the castle yet. We were hoping to solve the problem quickly ourselves.” He stuttered, but the prince set a hand on his shoulder. “That is very noble of you. I heard about it from the servants. You do not have to be nervous, good man. I only wish to help.” His soft voice helped to put the mayor at ease, and William gave a nod towards Fiddleford, who in turn told the guards to relax and dismount their horses as well. The knight would stay with the prince, but the guards could go to the tavern, with the only rule that they had to stay sober enough to come in action if it was needed. Fiddleford had this way of alerting his men that involved a very convenient small gap between his front teeth.

William walked with the mayor to the riverbank, listening to the full story of what happened when the river flooded the village that previous day. He noticed how muddy the ground still was, despite the fact that it was nearly a full day ago. “Luckily, nobody lost their life in the flood, but the fields have been completely drowned and with the weakened riverbanks, this might very well ruin the harvest this year.” The mayor explained, and the prince nodded thoughtfully. “How quick did the water disappear into the ground? There’s still mud everywhere, which is mildly concerning.” He asked, his eyes on the river they approached. “Fairly quickly actually. But the groundwater level is high here, which is not a bad thing in the summer.” The answer was very practical, and William nodded again. “You do deliver food to the castle and certain other places. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to pave the roads better? Make it less taxing on the carts to get from here to the castle.” A helpful suggestion, but the mayor shook his head. “We do not have the means to get it done, your highness. The most available material would be sand, but with the water so high, it just turns into mud again.” He explained. The prince frowned. “I will bring that to the king’s attention when I return. There are towns with very skilled roadworkers, who would be able to help out. As for the material, that should not be a problem. All we need is a convoy to get the stones here.” It was important that everyone in the kingdom had access to good roads, because with good roads, travel was easy and less dangerous.

But then they reached the riverbank, and their attention went to the situation at hand. “Careful, your highness, the riverbanks are weak, and we don’t know how close we can get before everything starts sliding.” The mayor warned, and the prince tilted his head before rising a few centimetres in the air to spare the ground. The man stared at it for a while, then turned to Fiddleford, who had not said a word the entre time. “Is this normal, sir?” The mayor asked softly, and the knight just gave a nod. “People tend to forget he is not human. He has certain abilities that are very useful in some cases.” He answered reluctantly. William didn’t show his powers often, at least not his active ones. The passive powers, such as his connection to the land, and his ability to sense energies from a great distance seemed to be active almost permanently and didn’t seem to cost the price any energy to maintain. Fiddleford had to admit that his powers were impressive and fascinating. Many people in the kingdom possessed certain abilities. Powers were not that rare, but the prince had a very unique way of using them that came with his species. Fiddleford wondered, and not for the first time, what had driven the demon to take on a human form and live among humans. Why did the being connect his own life force to the kingdom and then actually live there? William had told him that he simply loved the human world, and preferred to be a part of it, just like the previous generations of rulers of the kingdom had done. A better explanation was never provided, and the knight wasn’t fully convinced this was the full reason. However, he didn’t have much time to look it up.

The mayor pulled him out of his thoughts. “I have never seen anything like this before.” Fiddleford looked up and chuckled as he saw what the prince was doing. The blue haired royal was floating above the river, motionless, with raised hands, and closed eyes. The water seemed to back away from him, leaving an empty trench. William lowered himself until his boots touched the ground again, and they immediately sunk into the mud a bit. The royal didn’t mind. He just crouched down and let his fingers slide over the river bottom. “Well, the good news is that the sludge is very fertile, so I don’t think that should be much of a problem.” He told the mayor, who had curiously approached the demon prince to see what he was doing. The man seemed very relieved. “As for the riverbanks, I am sure you have already thought of this, but reeds are very good at strengthening these areas.” William added, and the mayor nodded. “We have, but it will take a lot of time to grow it, and until then we are very vulnerable. If this happens again, the ground will be too wet for any further farming this year.” He answered, but the prince floated up again, out of the trench, and let the water return. “I can help you. Usually I would not just summon plants out of thin air, but this time I would just speed something up you were planning already.” He mentioned, before setting his fingers on the soggy ground. He really did not care getting his hands dirty for his people. It was his responsibility after all. He was only prince by the grace of his people. At least that was how William saw it. Stanford might have other ideas, but he didn’t really ask about that. Either way, the blue haired royal sent a surge of his powers into the ground. It wasn’t much of an effort; he was already connected to these lands anyway. Yet it still took about ten minutes on each side of the river to get the reeds growing thick and high enough.

The prince washed off his hands in the cold water of the river before getting up again and turning to the mayor. “This should hold the riverbanks, I’m sure of it. I am hoping this was a one-time occurrence. If it happens again, do not hesitate to send a messenger to the castle. The king and I value the work you do, and we wish to help you whenever you need.” He gave a friendly smile, and the man had to find his voice back. “T-thank you. Your highness, is there anything we can do to express our gratitude?” He asked, bowing deeply, which only made the prince sigh. William looked over to Fiddleford. “Do we have time to join the guards in the tavern for a drink before we have to go back?” He asked, and the knight nodded. “We should indeed.” He answered and followed the royal to said building. The guards were still sober, as they should be, and when the royal entered, they all hastily got up to give him a proper greeting. So did the owner and his daughter. William raised his hand. “No need, good people. I just wanted to see if I could get a cup of fresh milk before we return to the castle.” He spoke up, and then sat down on an empty seat. Fiddleford sat down across the table and had a very quiet conversation with the closest guard about the day. The knight seemed pleased with what he was told and gave a nod. After that, the group just enjoyed a few drinks until the sun was getting low enough for Fiddleford to remind the prince that they were expected back in the castle in time. William nodded, time to return home, to his husband. Nothing against the knight, but he preferred Stanford’s company. Although today had been a good day.

They returned to the field where they had left their horses, to find a young woman brushing off Zefilwen. When William approached her, she dropped the brush and managed to hide her blush by bowing deep enough to drag her braid through the grass. The prince stared at her for a bit, not quite sure what to do with this. “My dear, it is easier to thank you for taking care of my horse when I can actually see your face.” That was what he said eventually, and the girl snapped upright again. “Y-yes your highness, I’m so sorry. I should have maybe asked first.” She stammered, but William just smiled at her. “I do not mind. And clearly you know what you are doing. Zefilwen seems to like you.” He added, rubbing his stallion over its nose. “That’s a beautiful name, but what does it mean?” She asked with big eyes. The prince laughed a little. “Zefilwen means sea breeze. He is rather swift, and the white colour reminds me of sea foam.” He explained, then looked at the girl again. “But what is your name?” He asked, and she went red again. “Isabel. My name is Isabel.” She mumbled, and William gave another smile. “Well Isabel, you cared very well for Zefilwen, he seems rather pleased with how pretty he looks.” He spoke and went to get his saddle. The boys from that morning rushed in to help him, and for once the prince did not complain. “Are these fine young men your brothers by any chance? It appears to be a family ranch.” He asked the girl while the saddle was put in place and properly fastened. “They are.” Isabel answered with a smile. “You form a fine team then. Wait, I have something for you. After all, care for so many horses without notice is not easy.” The prince reached into the saddlebag and took out a leather pouch. “I’m sure the three of you can properly share this with your parents.” He handed the pouch over to Isabel. There was a generous amount of coins in it, but William did not mind. It was a small village, and the people were very friendly. And as a royal, he had more than enough anyway. “T-thank you, your highness.” The three stuttered in unison. “You are very welcome. And thank you for the good care.” The prince got on his horse and the rest grouped around him. Time to go home.

A plus side of a busy and tiring day such as this one, was that William had managed to forget about that strange feeling he had in the morning. But now that they were riding back to the castle, he became aware of it again. When they came to a crossroad, the prince halted his horse and set his eyes on the East. “Fiddleford, when Stanford told you to accompany me today, did he happen to mention his brother?” He asked, and the knight hesitated for a second. Should he answer truthfully? William was still prince, but Stanford didn’t like it when people talked about Lord Stanley. Still, he was obligated to answer a direct question from the demon prince truthfully. “He did indeed. I heard he has been engaged in unwanted business.” He answered eventually, and William just sighed. “He is still convinced it is just Stanley then.” He muttered to himself and spurred his horse again, back to the castle. Fiddleford was confused and mildly concerned when he followed suit. Apparently, the prince thought there was something else going on. “Your highness, forgive me my boldness, but do you think his majesty is mistaken?” This was a very dangerous subject. The king did not make mistakes; he was very adamant about that. Probably the only person who could imply something like that was the prince. And maybe Lord Stanley, but he had not seen that happen since Stanford was crowned king. It had been a strange event, that coronation. The kingdom didn’t have many of those, considering they had a line of immortals who passed on the throne when they decided to move on. But not William. The prince had taken another tour and stayed as prince while the man he married gained the title of king. Fiddleford side-eyed the blue haired royal for a bit but said nothing more. He just waited for an answer.

“Yes, Fiddleford. I do think he is mistaken. You see, I have a twin brother too. Only minutes younger than me. His name is Bill, and he got banished from the kingdom a long time ago, before my parents decided their reign had been long enough and passed on the responsibilities of lands onto me.” The prince sighed as they reached the stables. The knight listened to the story. He’d never been told about this before. “Is his majesty aware of Bill’s existence?” He asked carefully, and William gave a nod. “He is, I have told him as soon as he expressed his wish to marry me. Bill has not shown himself to me since his exile, but I would recognize his energy anywhere. He has returned, and he is not far away. But he isn’t in the kingdom, or I would know it. And yet, his presence in the East concerns me. I have no seen lord Stanley for a long time, but I do remember he is not the friendliest lord we have. Much like Stanford, his reign is effective, yet with Stanley, I find that his methods can be called ruthless at times. He is bound be the laws my husband and I put in place, that keeps him from harming the people, but I know he stretches the rules as far as he can. And yet, he stays within his boundaries enough for us to have to let it slide.” William was concerned for his people, as always. Fiddleford rubbed the back of his head. They had left their horses in the care of the grooms and made their way to the great hall.

“But if Bill manages to influence him from beyond the borders of our lands, we might face a situation nobody would wish upon these people. Bill loses his powers when he sets foot on my land, and I know he is restricted in what he can do if he gets close to the kingdom, but he is dangerous. After all, my brother was banished for a reason. He would not hesitate to attempt to put an end to my life, or Stanford’s. After all, he tried to kill me before.” That was the conclusion of the story. Fiddleford went white as snow. If this was all true, they could indeed be headed towards a time where his duties would be much more focussed on defence and security. Even if he was powerless within the borders, a second demon was not something the knight wanted to be dealing with. “Your highness, why do you not tell this to his majesty?” He asked after thinking it over. William sighed. “I tried. He seems convinced it is his brother’s doing. I know that it is not, and I think we should prepare a travel to lord Stanley’s lands. Even if it is just to check the border. The forest that falls in that territory is hard to properly guard after all” It was hard to believe that Stanford truly had such a blind spot for what was going on, but the knight realized it was probably just denial. He did not want to face his brother, that was all. “I am expecting a messenger from the region soon actually. Such a sudden shift in energy is not normal. I fear this might have been the quietest day we have had in a long time.” William wasn’t often pessimistic, and if the prince thought something was going on, Fiddleford would take it seriously. While the blue haired royal vastly underestimated the amount of people who would take advantage of him, once he knew someone wasn’t good, his instincts were hardly ever wrong.

“His majesty might be trying to help you to stay calm, your highness. With the flood so close to the castle, he might have been worried about you.” Fiddleford mentioned as they entered the great hall. Alain walked up to the prince and bowed lightly before taking the cloak from the prince’s shoulders. William nodded thoughtfully. “He does tend to worry about me. But even if this is Bill, I won’t let him hurt my people.” The knight flinched at the phrasing. “Your people.” He mumbled, and the royal sighed. “Our people. You are right. I care deeply for the people of this kingdom, and I wish to keep them safe. They are Stanford’s people too, and I am sure he feels the same.” With that, they reached the table where the king was seated, reading a message. His expression showed he was not happy, and he barely looked up when Fiddleford bowed for him before excusing himself. William walked around the table and looked over Stanford’s shoulder at the parchment. Then he froze. “Stanford, what is this?” He asked quietly, and the king looked up. “I am not sure. My brother walks a thin line with his rules, but he is not known for his sense of humour.” He answered. “A new kingdom? Out of nowhere?” William could hardly believe it, but his senses only confirmed the message written out in front them. “We can’t ignore this. We leave first thing tomorrow.” The king looked at his husband. While it wasn’t easy to leave him shocked, this had accomplished exactly. And he wasn’t alone. Even the demon prince had experienced anything like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that you are through this, welcome to the full extent of this AU! Royal Falls includes two sides, two versions of our beloved characters, and double the mess they can get themselves in.


	6. Family relations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Stanford and prince William pay a visit to Stanford's birth lands, where his twin brother Stanley rules these days. They aren't there for him though. They are there because of William's brother, who may or may not have turned up again after being exiled from the kingdom for years. For some reason, being twins is not a good thing in this story.

**Did you miss me, dearest twin?**

Stanford woke up a lot less calm than he usually did. This was not because his chamberlain did anything wrong, no. This was because he knew where he would be going today, and he would prefer to not see his brother again. And yet, he had no choice. The message he had received yesterday was simply too important and couldn’t be ignored. And he did not believe for one second that his brother was trying to make a bad joke. Stanley did not make jokes like that. His idea of a joke was to make sure the Gleeful family crest would be draped over every cart that ever came from those lands, just because he knew how much it irritated his twin brother. The king should not care about something so trivial as much as he did. After all, once he had ascended the throne, he had convinced his new husband to make a new coat of arms for the royal guard. William had agreed with little protest, and now the blue rose on its silver background was widely accepted and implemented everywhere. And slowly but surely, people were forgetting it had been something else entirely before the royal wedding. And that was exactly Stanford’s intention when he did it in the first place. The people had been confused at first, when they saw the new symbol that replaced the bird, but they got used to it, and now needed a second to remember what the old one even looked like.

The thought of how much of this kingdom he already influenced actually helped him to calm down as he got out of bed and dressed. He’d told the chamberlain last night he would be travelling today but needed to prove his rank upon arrival. The man had understood the message without needing more explanation and now entered the room with a dark blue tunic he saved for certain occasions, such as this one. Custom made for him, with the new coat of arms embroidered on it, along with fine beading over the top part. Perfect for what he wanted to display upon arrival, although it wouldn’t be just his clothing. He had his cloak, his belt, and of course, his crown. Because there was no chance, he would face Stanley without making very clear who outranked who in the situation. His prime concern was the message in the letter of course, but still. The fact a new kingdom had seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the Eastern border of the kingdom would not stop him from also putting his twin brother in his place. If he really had to spend time on the lands where was born, he’d take the opportunity to make it very clear that he no longer was Stanley’s little brother. All he hoped for now was that William would not be difficult about it. Strange really, the demon was born a royal, but seemed to feel much more at home alongside the commoners. He didn’t seem to understand the idea of authority, which really wasn’t the best trait when it came to decision making. It was no miracle the prince had happily stepped aside to give Stanford the title of king after the wedding. And with Fiddleford keeping an eye on the prince, their reign had become so much more effective. Yet every once in a while, when they had to make visits to other parts of the kingdom for example, the king saw how uncomfortable William was with all the rules and traditions that came with his status. It had forced him to take certain measures to make everything go smoothly, and to keep the blue haired royal calm. After all, they all knew what happened when the demon prince let his emotions get the best of him for too long.

But alas, it was better to see for himself than make assumptions. The chamberlain came forward to carefully place the crown on the king’s head before bowing and taking a step back so Stanford could judge his work in the mirror. “Flawless as ever, Lyman. I expect to return late tonight or tomorrow, depending on how serious the matter turns out to be. I know you are well aware of your duties and will make sure everything is completed before our return.” He spoke up, giving a calm smile and the man nodded. “Yes, your majesty, everything will be ready for you when you return to the castle.” He assured Stanford. “Excellent. One more thing; get my sword from the armoury. I do not expect to need it, but I would not want to be without it in the case something is to happen.” The king spoke before making his way to the door. “I am sure you will find Fiddleford there, you may hand it to him. He is coming with us and you have enough to do as it is.” With that, the king went to the Great Hall, where he found that William was not ready yet. This happened most of the time, and Stanford never minded seeing his husband enter the hall. He simply sat down and had the servants do their job, which was to serve him, and anyone seated a good breakfast. He noted there were more people up and about than usual, as he had told Fiddleford he wanted to leave early and needed a small number of men to accompany them on the journey. The fact the knight was so efficient with his duties was a blessing and proved time and again that it had been a wise decision to have him come along when Stanford left for the castle to marry the demon prince.

Meanwhile William was in the middle of getting ready as well. Alain was there to help him, as usual, and the prince didn’t send him off today. Although he usually only needed assistance when he had to fasten the silver jewellery around his arms and shoulders, and today that wouldn’t be the case. Not if they would be travelling to Stanley’s lands. He’d need his hands free for that. While the kid fastened the cloak and decorative belt, the blue haired royal was thinking of a way to address something he had been meaning to get to for a few days now, but never found the right moment for it. But since they would be travelling today, he was running out of time. Alain left the room for a few seconds and returned with William’s crown on a soft blue pillow. The prince chuckled softly when he saw the amount of care Alain displayed while handling the delicate semi-circle with leaf design. “It is not as fragile as you think, you can handle it with the same care as you handle your own headband.” He commented and leaned down so the kid could actually place it on his head right. Cons of being relatively tall. Alain took a step back and tilted his head a little. “I think this should be right?” He asked carefully, and William turned to look in the mirror. “You did very well. You know just how to get it right, and I am glad.” The prince smiled, then slid a thumb over his own chin and looked at the door. “I sent Leana to get something for me earlier, could you go see if she’s back yet?” He asked, and Alain looked up, sounding a bit concerned. Leana was one of the maids, and usually not involved in William’s personal care. But maybe he had asked her because she had been nearby at the time? Had he been late that morning? He was a bit scared to ask, so instead he just went to see if she was there.

And she was. Leana gave him a bundle and winked at him before leaving again, probably to tend to her usual duties. Alain was left confused and bewildered, but returned to William’s room, finding the prince strapping his dagger to his belt. “Your highness, are you expecting trouble?” He asked concerned, but William shook his head. “Not necessarily, but with where we are going, it would be foolish of me to not bring it. Yet if it comes to it, I have my powers, which I think will be much more effective. But I see that Leana has done what I asked of her.” He answered and held his hand out for the bundle. Alain gave it to him and then took a step back. “Oh, come closer. This is actually for you after all.” The prince smiled and unpacked the bundle while the boy curiously approached him again. In the bundle was a new tunic, with the royal arms on the chest. Alain recognized the uniform well. It was worn by the squires of the guards and knights of the castle. “Your highness, I don’t understand.” He stuttered, although he did have an idea what the meaning of this was. William set his hand on the boy’s shoulders. “I know that your fourteenth birthday is still a few weeks away, but you came with me to the castle a little while before you turned seven too, so it is only fitting that you get it early. You know that a page becomes a squire after seven years. You have completed those seven years.” He smiled greatly, but Alain just blushed. “But I, I never intended to become a knight. I just thought I would stay to work for you.” He forgot to use the proper titles, as he was quite flustered and didn’t really know what to say. “I am aware of that, Alain. And I wouldn’t force anything on you. If you accept this however, you will be able to come with me on journeys, even when I have to leave for an official visit.” He spoke calmly, and the boy perked up. “I would be your squire then, your highness?” He asked, just to be sure, and William nodded. “Of course. I would not want to hand you over to the guard for further training. After all, I promised your mother I would look after you.”

It took little time for Alain to put on the new tunic. William gave him time to get used to the sight of himself in the mirror before motioning for the kid to follow him to the Great Hall. Alain was a bit shy when he saw the look on the faces of the other servants they passed on the way. There was no envy, just pride in their eyes. “As of now, not much will change for you, apart from the new uniform. Since you are my responsibility, I overlook your training and decide what you will learn and when.” William explained a bit more of what this would mean for the kid. The new squire nodded, deciding that listening to the prince would help to not get overwhelmed. “It also means you have the right to be seated at the tables in the great hall, instead of eating in the kitchens with the other pages and servants, but if there is someone you’d prefer to sit with, I won’t stop you.” William continued as they entered the great hall. Alain shook his head. “I usually just talk to the cooks while I’m eating. Everyone is always busy, so everyone just talks to anyone who has a moment.” He explained before having to leave the prince to get seated next to his husband. Alain himself shily approached the nearest table and sat down. A young man, recently knighted, leaned over to him. “Good to see you here, kid. I was told you would join us soon.” He whispered. “Adrian? Who told you that?” The new squire asked, unsure about all of this. “His royal highness told Fiddleford about it, and he told me. Since I am the youngest knight, and Fiddleford already insisted you learn to handle a sword, I will probably be training you.” He explained while servants put bowls of bread and cheese on the table. Alain didn’t know what to say and just started eating to put his mind on something else.

He couldn’t know that he was also the main topic at the head table at the moment. “So, you decided to go through with it, even after I advised against it.” Stanford commented, his brown eyes fixated on the boy. William smiled as he broke bread between his hands. “Of course, I did. Alain works hard, makes very few mistakes, he is brave, determined, and loyal. I trust him.” He answered, ready to defend his choice if necessary. “He’s a farmers boy, William. I know you care about him, but making him your squire?” There was disapproval in the king’s voice, but it fell on deaf ears. “So is Fiddleford, and I am expected to trust him with my life too. You trust him with my life. And I know who I want around me when it comes to my personal comfort. And as far as I know, Fiddleford does not particularly care for his task of guarding me when I go out any more than I do. So, if there is someone else who could take over that duty you find necessary, I do not see a reason why you would be against it.” William looked his husband in the eyes and felt a hand folding around his. “I only want the best for you, my dear. Fiddleford, as you know, has a very unique style of combat because of his upbringing, and it makes him very hard to defeat. That is why I assigned him to protect you. The boy you chose has been working for you from a young age, and I am concerned he won’t be able to uphold that standard.” The king spoke softly, lifting up William’s slender hand and pressing his lips on it for a second. The prince gave a reassuring smile. “I spoke to Fiddleford about this, and he assured me he would make sure that Alain is trained to the best of his abilities. He has his talents too, and I am sure he will do just fine.” He put his free hand over Stanford’s, and the king pulled him a little closer. “If you truly think this is the best decision, I will not overrule it, my darling. Put keep an open mind and keep track of his progress. If it turns out he is not suited for it, promise that you will do what is right.” Stanford whispered in his husband’s ear, and William lost his train of thought.

About twenty minutes later the two royals were on their way to the stables, followed by Fiddleford and Alain. With his new position, the kid would be able to come along today too, which was part of the reason William had taken that step today. The marshal had readied the carriage, ensuring the journey to the east of the kingdom would be smooth and comfortable. When he saw Alain though, he got a thoughtful look on his face, and turned to the prince. “Your highness, I wasn’t informed he would be coming along today.” He whispered to not put the new squire in an awkward position. William gave a smile. “Saddle Zefilwen.” He answered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Fiddleford turned, as did Stanford and Alain. “Darling, I was not aware you were planning to ride today.” The king did not sound all too pleased. “I’m not. But with who I am expecting to meet there, I want my horse to be nearby. There is a chance I need to have a quick way out of there, and Zefilwen is the best option I have, especially in this case. And Alain knows my horse.” William answered, turning to the kid, who nodded, determination in his eyes. The marshal took a deep breath and did as he was told, leading the white stallion out and allowing Alain to put his hand on its nose. Zefilwen stayed calm, even when the new squire got on his back. William gave a smile, patted the side of the horse’s neck before getting in the carriage with Stanford. The king did not comment on it, but the only reason for that was because he did not trust Stanley to not pull any tricks on his husband, and in that case, it would indeed not be the worst idea if William had a quick escape option. And who knew, if Alain could not handle this, it would be a good reason to overturn the decision to make him squire. Really, there were enough young men around to take on that role if Fiddleford was no longer willing or able. Men he found much more suited for the part. Yet Stanford was careful to question too many of William’s decisions. He needed the prince’s trust, and when it came to Alain, it always was a bit of a sensitive matter. William’s trust in the boy was rock solid, whether that was deserved or not.

So far it seemed to go rather well. Alain rode the white stallion on the right of the carriage, keeping up with the formation of the guards that grouped around it. The prince leaned back in the soft cushions and gave a reassuring smile. He knew Stanford was tensed. He was too, but for a different reason. Well, not really all that different. After all, they were both not looking forward to the moment they saw their twin again. “I am sure everything will turn out fine. We’re both in a much better position than last time.” William spoke softly, hoping to comfort Stanford a little bit before they would arrive. The king looked up but didn’t answer right away. The frown on his face did lessen though, and his lips curled into a smile. “We most certainly are. And he knows better than to violate the laws of hospitality. Still, I could go without seeing him again.” William thought about what was ahead of them. “I agree, and I am sure we do not have to spend much time around lord Stanley. Not with what else is waiting for us at the border.” His tone was less upbeat now, causing Stanford to reach out and take his husband’s hand. “My dear, we never have trouble with neighbouring kingdoms. You worry too much about meeting aristocracy. It is better to try to stay calm, we don’t want to risk another flood.” His soothing voice made the prince smile but did nothing to help him forget about last time he and his brother faced eachother. He remembered the rage in Bill’s eyes as if it was just days ago, rather than decades.

The journey went way too fast for both royals. For once, Stanford cursed the quality of the roads that let them travel swiftly, and William had never been sadder about the fact everyone went out of the way when the royal carriage had to pass through. Much quicker than they wanted, they heard Fiddleford shout a command to the guards. The group came to a halt and the sound of a drawbridge being lowered and a gate being opened put an end to the peace and quiet of the journey. The carriage moved forward again before coming to a definite halt on the courtyard of Stanley’s castle. A few moments later, Alain opened the door. “Your majesty, your highness, we have arrived.” All according to protocol. It was almost irritating how well the kid remembered the details of occasions like these, all the way to the right order to address the two of them. Especially since William was the one who taught him, and the prince cared very little about protocols and traditions like these. The king didn’t have that much time to think about it though, because the group was led inside by a few servants. The guards stayed behind in the entrance hall, and only Fiddleford, Alain, and the two royals were brought further into the castle, to the great hall. The whole building was a lot smaller and less abundantly decorated, but still impressive, and suited for a Gleeful. Stanford was very careful to keep his emotions to himself as they entered the hall. William just took a deep breath, internally preparing himself for what was to come. His mismatched eyes followed the lord as he got up from his seat and approached the royals, all according to customs. He could read the amount of resentment in both brothers and closed his eyes for a second, bracing himself. Stanley bowed lightly, not a centimetre more than he absolutely had to. “Welcome, in my humble home.” The sarcasm in his voice alone was enough to make Alain, who was standing a bit behind the prince, flinch and then shiver. Clearly the king had not been exaggerating when he explained his twin brother was not a kind man.

Stanford straightened his back and looked his twin in the eyes. “Humble is not the word I would use to describe this place, Stanley. Mother and father have tried to teach you some humility, but I see that they did not succeed.” He did his best to keep the coldness out of his voice, but William shot him a look anyway. Oh no, this was going to go horribly wrong. Maybe skip the protocols for now and get straight to the point so the brothers didn’t have to stay in one room anymore. Yet before he got the chance, Stanley let out a laugh. “They tried to teach _you_ humility, little brother. And they told you to know when to back down. As far as I can tell from what I have heard, neither of those lessons stuck with you after you left the family lands.” Alain’s mouth fell open when he heard the tone from the lord. He had never heard anyone talk to the king like that, and he had served plenty high ranked people from the kingdom, some of them holding much higher titles than lord Stanley. William sighed deeply and before Stanford could truly start an argument with his brother, he jumped in, to save everyone from a lot of anger. “Lord Stanley, I am afraid this is not quite the time for a reunion. I know it has been a while, and I am sure there is much to talk about, but that is not the reason for our visit.” His voice, though soft and polite, was clear enough to make both brothers look up and snap out of their anger. Stanley gave a more sincere bow to the prince. “As you wish, your highness.” The sarcasm wasn’t completely gone, but his mockery was saved for his brother, not for the prince. He didn’t have much against the reign of the Ciphers.

They turned to get seated at the head table. Due to arrangements according to ranks, the twin brothers initially ended up next to eachother, but for the sake of moving forward instead of being at eachother’s throat, William agreed to take the seat between them. Once seated, Stanley unrolled a map of his lands, with the borders clearly stated. “Two days ago, I had a convoy return from our neighbours. There was no sign of anything strange going on, besides maybe that they wanted to increase their prices.” He explained, and Stanford stiffened up. “Have you been trying to sell them short again? It wouldn’t be the first time the nobles from the other side of the border were less than satisfied with us as trading partners, and every time it happens, you are the culprit.” The king managed to sound calm now, but his brother wasn’t having it. “Yes, I have been selling them short. Always the way to go, isn’t it? To blame me for trouble with trading goods. But to answer your question, no. I have been fair to them. I did pay less when they sent me less, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they went to you with their griefs.” Stanford raised an eyebrow. “I will check over your books then, if you speak the truth, I will take measures. If I find out you are trying to get out of your responsibilities to the kingdom, I can assure you that will know the consequences.” He didn’t even attempt to hide the threat in his voice. “Still so subtle, aren’t you? I’ll gladly show you the numbers when we are done with what is actually going on here.” The Lord snapped right back, and the king’s left hand, which had been resting on the table, clenched into a fist.

William noticed it and folded his slim hand over it. “Please continue. This was two days ago. Yesterday we received a message from you that a new kingdom had appeared out of nowhere.” He spoke up, doing his best to diffuse the situation. He knew how they could bicker and also knew they would not stop unless they were stopped, which was the main reason Will needed to have his hands free when it came to visits to or from lord Stanley. Luckily, it was sufficient for now and the two returned their focus to the matter at hand. “Yes. I was actually planning on sending a messenger back to them yesterday that they were not in the position to renegotiate our agreements.” The lord spoke up, and Stanford was about to mention that his brother wasn’t allowed to send such messages without going through him first but felt William’s thumb slide over his fingers. “What happened instead?” The prince asked, tilting his head a bit. He didn’t like conflict and did what he could to avoid it at all costs. Stanley gave his brother-in-law a strange look for a second but continued anyway. “I was woken up in the middle of the night due to what looked like lightning. The guards told me nothing was hit, so I returned to bed. In the morning, the guards tell me they can no longer see the nearest town from the neighbouring kingdom, and instead see what appears to be a village, not even in the same spot. I went out to see it for myself, and they were not trying to make a joke. The whole environment seemed to have changed overnight.” That was the end of it. When he was done, he just gave his twin brother a look. William missed this, and the wordless argument consisting of looks and expressions that followed. He was lost in thought.

“How far is the border from here?” The prince suddenly spoke up, interrupting the silent battle between the twins. Stanley shrugged. “Half an hour by horse I’d say. Unless you mean through the forest because it’s hard to say. Usually, we honour the agreement that both sides of the border can use the entire forest for hunting.” He answered, but Stanford interrupted him. “My dear, you have been acting very agitated. Is this still because of what you said yesterday?” The king had to accept the fact that his brother had not been doing anything to cause William’s discomfort, and with the extra kingdom, he had already considered that his husband might have been right when he mentioned the feeling, he had was not caused by lord Stanley. So, it wasn’t all that surprising when he turned towards Stanford and sighed. “We have to inspect the border ourselves. I have to be sure, please.” His voice was soft but determined. The king nodded. “I agree. I will look over the numbers here later, but we have to see this with our own eyes.” Stanford took the hand that hand been folded over his the whole time and placed a gentle kiss on it. “We will leave right away and return after we ensured everything is fine.” He then said to his brother, who shook his head. “Absolutely not. You might be king, but these are my lands. I am joining you.” He got up from his seat, tying his long brown hair back with a leather string. The king got up to. “Stanley, this is not the moment to question my decisions.” Really, his twin had no idea how to read a room. Nor did he seem to understand when to back down. “I know the lands better than you, Stanford. If the border has to be strengthened right away, I am more suited to make decisions about how to go about it.” The lord objected, and the king gave him a glare. “I grew up here too, Stanley. Do not assume I don’t know my parental estate because I decided my heart was elsewhere.”

Fiddleford cautiously raised his hand. “Your majesty, if I may.” He started, and the two brothers looked up. So did William, who seemed incredibly grateful. “Yes, what is it?” Stanford asked with a deep sigh. “Well, we came here with a number of soldiers. They do not know the lands as well as we do. It might be beneficial if you do not have to focus on directing them too.” The knight suggested, and the king shot his twin brother a look. “Fine.” His tone was cold as ice, but he had to think about William at the moment. There was a chance William needed Fiddleford’s attention, and it was true that the guards did not know these grounds as well. So, when the carriage and the group of armed men moved over the drawbridge half an hour later, there was an extra rider. On the way, William had given Alain extra instructions to keep Zefilwen close, but to stay out of any possible line of fire for his own safety. Meanwhile the two brothers had continued their silent argument from earlier, albeit a lot less wordless. “You have trained your pretty blue thing well, haven’t you?” The lord smirked, sounding sarcastic. William had indeed proved he knew how to speak up against his husband when needed. The king narrowed his eyes. “At least I have a husband by my side. One who does not feel the need to question every decision I make.” He snapped back, and Stanley’s lips curled into a grin. “Is that because he trusts you, or because title difference?” There was a hint of a threat in his voice now, and Stanford glared. “He trusts me. And so should you.” He did not attempt to hide his warning. “Oh, but if it is because of trust, then I suppose it wouldn’t be an issue if I reminded him of the old laws? I have been reading up on them since you keep trying to question my claim on these lands.” Stanley gave his brother a very intense look. Stanford’s hand went to his sword. “If you ever speak of those to him, I promise you that I will have you banished before you can blink twice.” His anger was rising, and even his twin had figured that he should stop there before he’d go too far.

William had not commented on the intense glare he’d seen on his husband’s face during the short trip to the border of the kingdom. He had his ideas why the king was so mad, but his head was filled with a completely different threat. The cold feeling was stronger, and the direction was getting harder to determine, probably because it had been present for a long time now, and they were getting closer to the border. Once they arrived at the outpost, the prince hardly waited for Alain to open the door before he got out and set his mismatched eyes on the bridge that crossed the river that formed the border of the kingdom. Despite the fact that two days ago there had been an entirely different landscape on the other side, the road continued on as if nothing had changed. Stanford stood by William’s side and scanned his eyes over the road. One of the border guard came down from the watchtower and bowed deeply. “Your majesty, your highness, we are glad you could come so quickly.” He spoke hastily. “Yes, we were informed a new kingdom had appeared out of nowhere.” The king kept his eyes on the road for a while longer, until the prince took a step forward. “Your highness, is something wrong?” The guard asked, but William shook his head. “Not more than the fact a whole kingdom came into existence overnight.” He answered and the guard had to admit he had a point. “Do you have any specifics to mention?” Stanford went over to the more practical matters on hand. “Not necessarily. We are hesitant to send anyone to cross the border, and nobody from the other side has come forward. We have seen groups moving over distant roads, but none of them approached the border. If anything, I would say the people from this new kingdom are in disarray over what happened. As if they were tilted from their reality and planted here. But none of us have been able to provide an explanation.” At those last words, the guard glanced at the demon prince. If anyone would have an answer, it would be the blue Cipher. He knew magic.

William didn’t react right away. He still had his eyes on the bridge. “I am sure I know who is behind this. I don’t know how, or why. But I do know who.” He then spoke, turning to his husband. “Stanford, I want to cross the border. I have to draw him out.” The prince said softly, and the king flinched. “William, no. If you are right, you are putting yourself in danger. A danger I cannot protect you from. We will send messengers, invite our new neighbouring royal to visit us.” There was a flickering in the blue and purple eyes of the prince. “If I am right, there is a high a chance he will just kill any messenger we send. I will not go far. He will know as soon as I set one foot outside my kingdom. But with the border so close, he will be weakened to the point I do not fear him. His exile includes that he will not be at full strength if he gets anywhere close to my home. Please.” William was determined to prove his intuition was right. Stanford hesitated. “I cannot lose you, my darling.” His voice was soft as he folded his large hands over William’s. The prince sighed, closing his eyes. “Trust me.” He pleaded, and eventually the king pulled him closer. “Fine, but not alone. And if one step is enough, then that is as far as we will go.” He whispered in his husband’s ear, smiling as he felt a light shiver go through the blue haired royal. It always was great to see how much the prince adored his husband. Although he had been standing up to the king relatively often in the past few days. It didn’t matter much, all the more reason to keep him close in the upcoming days. New royals meant more official visits, which meant more days of stress and tension for the prince. Especially if it turned that he had been right about who had appeared.

A few minutes later, after the king had ordered the soldiers to stand by but not to engage unless he ordered them to, the two royals walked up to the bridge. William seemed agitated, but he was holding it together enough to not cause anything. Stanford had offered his arm, and the prince had gladly taken it. The border guard leaned over to Fiddleford when he watched them approach the bridge. “Sir, excuse me, but did his highness lose his powers somehow?” He asked softly. The knight smirked and shook his head in reply. “Then why is his majesty so concerned for his safety? Our prince is quite powerful, in magic he is bests the king, does he not?” The guard wanted to understand how the dynamic worked. Something was not quite right. “He does indeed. But his majesty is much better in combat.” Fiddleford straightened his back, knowing exactly what was coming. It amused him greatly, but he was careful not to say anything wrong. “Yes, but with his magic, the prince should be able to protect himself.” It wasn’t so strange this all made very little sense. There was a completely different reason the prince was never unaccompanied after all. “He should indeed. But sometimes his highness is not as concerned with his own safety as he should be. It is better to keep him close at all times.” And that was that. Before too much would be revealed, the knight just rested his hand on the handle of his sword, his eyes on the two royals, who had just reached the border. Time for the moment of truth, he thought.

And indeed. William let go of Stanford’s arm and took a step over the border. He could feel the exact moment he was no longer in his own kingdom. The coldness washed over him with an intensity that had increased tenfold. He closed his eyes and uttered just one word: “Bill.” There was no doubt anymore. The only one who had ever been able to make him feel like this was his brother. Stanford narrowed his eyes as he saw a small ripple in the air when that name was spoken. So, there was a reaction. He reached out and took the prince’s hand to pull him back, but the blue haired Cipher didn’t move. He did open his eyes again but refused to step back. He would stay where he was until the other Cipher would react and show up in person. It probably wouldn’t take long. His yellow counterpart had never been able to resist an opportunity to show off and humiliate William. The prince could feel Stanford getting agitated and knew that he had been going his own way a lot lately, but he would make up for it later. Right now, he had to stand his ground. Why in the name of the Axolotl was his brother making him wait now? Was he that weakened because of the restrictions that came with his exile? Or was he just trying to make a dramatic entrance by luring him into a false sense of safety first? It wouldn’t even surprise him that much. “Bill, show yourself. I know you are here.” William called out again, clenching the hand Stanford wasn’t holding.

“Will, my dear brother. When did you lose that endless patience of yours?” A voice sounded. The prince immediately looked up. On the other side of the bridge a figure had appeared. He was dressed similarly to Stanford: royal attire, including a rich, fur lined cloak and a golden crown. His primary colour, however, was yellow. And the face, well, it was almost exactly William’s face. Two different coloured eyes: left was yellow, right a solid black. Haircut was nearly identical to the prince, but yellow. Even Stanford had to look twice. They looked so incredibly similar, apart from the colour, they could have been the same person. Bill had mirrored William’s stance initially, but broke that illusion now, and straightened his back, a smirk appearing on his face. And with that, the mystique was gone. The yellow demon king had an air of confidence to the point of arrogance about him that William not only lacked but couldn’t feign. “What’s wrong, brother? Not happy to see me?” Bill seemed completely at ease with the situation, but the prince saw he was pale, and knew that the younger Cipher twin had asked a lot of himself by teleporting so close to the border. It helped him to calm down, and walk to the middle of the bridge, a few steps out of his kingdom. The bridge was neutral ground. Bill did the same, and they stood face to face for the first time in years, if not longer. A blue eye drilling into a black one, and a yellow eye flickering at a purple one. The two brothers eyed eachother, not blinking, no sign of back away. Neither wanted to admit defeat first.

“I would say I missed you, but we both know that it would be a lie.” William eventually sighed, and Bill laughed. “Yes, let’s skip over that. Although I am glad to see you here.” He mentioned casually, crossing his arms. The answer caused some surprise, and a bit of fear. Clearly the blue Cipher had not forgotten about the attempted murder that had led to Bill’s exile. “I was getting concerned that the explosion had messed up my abilities, but it’s simply because you’re here. So, if you would get out of here, I would greatly appreciate it.” The demon king added after a short silence. His brother narrowed his eyes. “Bill, what did you do?” Fair question. The yellow Cipher stretched and explained that he had finally obtained what was his birth right: a kingdom. “Our parents never trusted me like they trusted you. You were always their golden child, their crowned achievement. I was cast aside like I was nothing, never got a chance to prove what I knew from the moment we were old enough to make choices: you are not fit to be king.” He was talking loud enough for Stanford to follow the conversation, and the king frowned lightly, listening closely to the story. “You don’t understand ruling. You never have, and you never will. But no, you were chosen. There are minutes between us, William. _Minutes_. It’s nothing, but you got everything. I wanted to save the kingdom from what would be their end: a king without a spine. But I was caught and thrown out without a chance to make myself clear. But now I got what I should have gotten from the start. I am king. We are equals now, and I will prove once and for all that for a position like that, you need to have guts. Dare to make decisions. Something you have never been able to do.” There was a lot of old pain in Bill’s voice. Stanford tilted his head and chuckled silently.

The king walked up to the two brothers and set his hand on William’s shoulder. “My dear, why don’t you introduce me to your brother?” He said softly but had not expected Bill’s reaction. Because as soon as Stanford had his attention, he stopped mocking his brother and started looking the king up and down. William had no idea what was going, and neither did Stanford. The king didn’t exactly mind the attention, but it was still strange. “Well, this is my younger twin brother, Bill. Former prince of the kingdom, until his exile following an attempt to end my life.” The prince spoke up, sighing deeply. “Bill Cipher, this is my husband; king Stanford Gleeful.” He added, then went silent again, which might be for the best. Because Bill narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. “King? Well, William, I have to admit you do have an impeccable taste in men, but king? Are you trying to tell me you gave up your throne for a human?” He crossed his arms and threw his head back, breaking out in laughter and almost losing his crown in the process. “Priceless! This is just too perfect to be true. I spent so much time trying to prove you’re infinitely better off as a commoner, and then you just do it yourself. You handed over our kingdom, the lands our family has ruled over for generations, to a mortal.” There was rage mixed into the laughter, causing Stanford to look around in case he had the same issue as William and would cause a flood or something. Nothing happened though, and he relaxed, smirking at the compliment he had gotten at the beginning of the rant.

“Stanford and I rule together. It’s a title difference at most.” The prince interrupted Bill’s laughter. The king squeezed his husband’s hand for a second. “William trusts me, clearly more than he trusts you. I will not judge that decision, as I have only met you now. The attempt on his life speaks against you, and you have to understand that we will be on our guard during visits, and we will watch our border. Customs urge me to officially invite you to visit the castle at the first opportunity you have, to discuss possible relations between our kingdoms.” He spoke up, his tone and stance were one of confidence, making it clear once and for all that it was a little more than a title difference. Stanford was the one in charge here, not William. Bill’s lips curled into a new smirk. “I take that my brother has informed you of the conditions of my exile from my kingdom of birth?” He now spoke directly to Stanford, completely ignoring the fact the prince was standing right there. “He has, and I am aware of the loss of your abilities. You have my word that no magic will be used against you when you are our guest.” The king gave a smile, and the yellow Cipher did the same. He held out his hand. “I am holding you to that, king Stanford.” His tone was neutral, and the king didn’t hesitate. He accepted the offered hand. William was too late. “No!” He yelled out, but the blue flame ignited around the hands. The kings both had flickering eyes and nearly identical smirks on their faces. The prince stared at it with terror in his own eyes. He had to do something; this was not going to end well. But what could he do? How to avoid the disaster he saw coming from miles away? Bill couldn’t be trusted. When the flames died out, he made a split decision. “Bill!”

The demon king turned to his brother. “Yes?” He raised an eyebrow when William held out his hand. “I will honour the agreement as long as you do not attempt to put an end to our reign.” His blue and purple eyes flickered with an unusual amount of power, and Bill hesitated for a second. This was quite a huge setback if he agreed, but on the other hand, with the level his powers were at right now, he had little choice. “Fine, Blue. At least you have gotten smarter since I left.” He muttered and grabbed William’s hand. Blue and yellow flames mixed and created a green fire, reflected by three pairs of eyes. Stanford had to admit that compared to the Cipher brothers, his own feud seemed oddly tame. These two were still demons, and this moment only proved that. He was almost glad when they let go of eachother and Bill returned to his kingdom. As soon as he set foot on his own domain, he vanished, and William nearly collapsed. Luckily, Stanford was able to catch him and guide him back to the carriage. “We are returning to your castle, Stanley. We need to discuss what measures to take to strengthen the borders.” The king spoke, and for once, his twin didn’t protest. The soldiers grouped around the carriage and Stanford kept the prince close during the ride, his mind focussed on the other Cipher. Bill. Something told him that they had entered a very interesting era, with this new neighbour bringing a new dynamic to the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, there has been a lot of time between the last chapter and this one. I am not only busy, I am struggling with anxiety. I am doing my best to write whenever I can, but please be patient. I am enjoying writing, but mental health goes first.


	7. Golden demon, second child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill returns to his new castle, to make sure he is prepared for what is about to begin. He is in a strange situation, closer to his brother than he has been in years, if not longer, but with a situation that is so new to him, even if he was prepared for the duties of a king. After all, the crown fits snugly on his head.

**There is no turning back now.**

Bill had returned straight back to the throne room of his castle. It was still being fixed up from the explosion and the beam that had gone through the place, but at least all the dead bodies were removed, and the semicircle of chairs that had been in the room during the time of the council had been replaced with a singular, golden throne. The demon king sank down on it, burned out from the teleportation and the other small things he had done so close to the border of his birth kingdom. So that was why he was feeling like this. Why he couldn’t change to his triangular shape anymore or return to the place he had called his home since his exile from the other kingdom. Will was there, and not just that. Bill tapped his long fingers on the arm rest of his throne, a glare on his features. It seemed there had been one mistake in the formation of crystals that had made all of this possible. Somehow the entire kingdom had been lifted from its plane of existence and was planted in a new dimension. The one where he had been born. His brand-new kingdom was right next to the one where his _beloved_ twin brother ruled. Or no, not ruled. Really, his twin had disgraced the entire line of Ciphers by stepping down for a mere human. A good looking human, but a human, nonetheless. Bill thought about king Stanford for a while and to his own annoyance, he could feel a small smile forming. How interesting that Will seemed to have found another version of the same man who had fused the two dimensions and made all of this a reality.

Speaking of Ford, perhaps it was a good idea to check up on the man. See if he was feeling better after a day in his new room. Once Bill was sure his legs were steady again, he got up and ignored the concerned looks of those who stayed to serve their new king. The yellow oriented demon felt himself getting calmer as he paced down the stone corridors of his castle, accompanied by the rustling of his rich golden cloak. Maybe the fact he was back in this dimension wasn’t that bad after all. Maybe he would get the chance to take revenge for his exile in more than one way. If they ruled in kingdoms beside eachother, the world would see who was more fit to lead. And well, the deals he made, both with his brother and Stanford, he would just have to work around those. There was something about that human that made Bill wonder what more there was between the king and prince. The human had a very strange air of confidence about him that made his skin tingle a little. How strange, was he getting soft because he was stuck in his human form? The demon king tried to push that thought away as he unlocked the wooden door to the highest tower of the castle. His footsteps were louder here as he climbed the stairs, his mind shifting towards the other human. The one in this tower, for everyone’s safety. Bill didn’t want to let him go out, not so soon after such a massive change. There were too many things he could not control if Ford was left to fend for himself. The mage was strong, but had lived a sheltered life, and didn’t know much about how people could be. Or so it seemed. Of course, the man had dealt with people looking at him strange for his magic all his life, but those were the main issues he’d had, meaning that he did not have much experience with other kinds of backstabbing and ways people used to make clear they didn’t like someone.

And besides, it was simply too good to have Ford close to him, safely away from anything that might twist the man’s view. Bill had already slipped u with his behaviour during the activation of the crystals, and when the mage had woken up after being knocked unconscious by the shockwave, he wasn’t very happy. Hopefully, it would be better now. The demon king unlocked the door at the very highest level of the tower and entered the round, well-decorated room. Ford was sitting in the chair by the window, reading a book. When Bill entered, he looked up and initially smiled. That expression faded quickly though, and the king raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong, Sixer? Were you expecting to see someone else?” He asked with a cheeky smile. The mage didn’t answer right away but made a point of putting a bookmark in the book first and putting it on the table right next to him. “When you said you were going to make sure the kingdom would run smoothly as soon as possible while I recovered from the shockwave, I did not know you meant you were going to take over from the council.” He spoke up after he was done, and Bill chuckled a bit. “It was the quickest solution to the issue, wasn’t it? With me on the throne, I can quickly stop everyone who wants to end you for what you did to the council. I still have to figure out how it is possible the beam hit them this clean, but they’re all dead. Every last one of them.” It seemed like the mage still had not figured it out, what truly happened. Perhaps he didn’t remember everything from the incident?

But Ford sat up straighter, and his smile was nowhere to be seen anymore. Instead, he had a bit of a glare on his face. “Fiddleford would have known if the formation we were building was dangerous, and would send a shockwave like this, wiping out the council and nearly the three of us. He said they were focussed, but not that this would happen. You were switching crystals around, you made them do this. You were planning this from the beginning, to wipe out the council and take their place, weren’t you?” The mage didn’t talk around the issue, but Bill didn’t seem put off by the anger in the other. It was a shame, that Ford had finally seen the truth, but he was half expecting it to happen at some point. “Well yes, I have been trying to get the throne since the old fart of a king kicked the bucket a few years back. And even before that, but that man was staying alive much longer than I wanted. And then when I had a window of opportunity it turned out I wasn’t the only one after the crown. The council was quicker and forced me to rethink everything. By the time I figured out how to go about it, the council had effectively turned the kingdom into a dysfunctional mess.” Bill crossed his arms, a harsh tone in his voice that Ford had not heard from him yet. “Their decimation of what magic is had caused everyone to turn on eachother. I could have taken over one of the lords and get them to kill the council, but they were strong enough to withstand that, and the chance I would get all of them to riot at the same time was too small. No. I needed a single source. One person to wipe out all of them without giving them a chance to fight back. Someone strong, independent, and smart. And there you were. I saw you when you spoke to the council. I felt your anger, how much you wanted to be special, to be recognized for what you could bring to the table. For me, you were perfect. You still are.” Bill paused, trying to hide his blush.

Ford stared at him, not knowing what to say. Then he opened his mouth and started talking anyway, throwing out his thoughts, partially to get it straight for himself. “You used me. All you did was using me to get what you wanted. And now that you got it, I’ll go down in history as the man who slaughtered the council. Why would you do that? Why not just do it yourself. You’re not a guide, you have more than enough power to do it yourself. Why use me instead?” The mage would have attacked Bill if he was fully recovered from the explosion, and if the demon king wouldn’t be able to send him flying with a single thought. Although, he was still a bit pale, like he had been the other day, when he had brought Ford to this room to recover. The demon king tilted his head. “Do you think they would accept a king who killed the council in cold blood? You are smarter than that, so don’t pretend like you aren’t. And you’re wrong. I didn’t just use you. I gave you a chance to prove yourself. And you did. The shockwave will become known as an accident. You never meant to kill the council. You will not be blamed for it, but I need more time to smooth things out. Especially with what I found out happened.” Bill walked further into the room and sat down on the bed. Ford stared at him, not knowing what the other was getting at. “The amassed power did more than just sent out the beam that killed the council and finally put me on the throne. It also tilted the entire kingdom out of reality and put it down in a different dimension. I did not plan or expect this, and it has some very unhelpful side effects. Of them is that I am not at my full power. It will take a while to sort everything out and ensure your safety. Until then, the best place for you to be is in this tower. The tower is locked, and I am the only one with a key, so you are safe here, until I have it sorted.” The demon king wanted Ford safe from the anger of the people, even if his motives were a bit fishy.

The mage rubbed his neck and then sat down on the bed too. He was still mad at the way he was used, but it was good to know he would not be blamed. Especially if it was true, and he was cut off from everyone he had known in his old life. Including his parents. Now that he had put all the extra powers he had been gifted into the crystals, he couldn’t do the communication orbs anymore. And even if he could have done that, he was not quite sure if that worked over dimensions. It appeared there was only one person left from his old life. Fiddleford. Although he had not really seen his friend since the shockwave. “Bill, where is Fiddleford?” Ford asked with a frown, and to his surprise, the demon king got a sheepish look on his face. “He was a bit closer to the crystals than you were when the shock hit. He survived, but the townspeople got to him before I could. He is alive, but that is all I know right now. I am doing what I can to find out where they took him and what they did to him, but there is a lot I have to get done to make sure the kingdom does not fall further into chaos. It might take a while before I have more to tell you about him.” Bill confessed, and Ford took a deep breath. At least his friend was alive, and it meant that there was someone who still remembered him from his old life, before he came to Gravity Falls and got to work on the crystals. It was something, but it certainly wasn’t ideal. At all. Regardless of everything, it was best for him to follow Bill’s suggestion right now and stay in the tower. At least until he knew more about what had happened exactly, and how this reign worked out. It occurred to him that he had maybe focussed on the wrong thing when Bill showed up in his life.

As for the demon king, he got up and smiled, adjusting his cloak. “As I told you, I have my work to do. The kingdom is in shambles, not just because of the beam, but also due to the botched reign of the council. There are more than enough books in this room to keep you busy while you fully recover, and I will have people deliver your personal collection as soon as I see the chance. Until then, I will make sure to come see you often enough and keep you informed of the progress. Perhaps the books here can even help all of us with this situation. The new neighbours will hopefully agree to exchange information as well, so I will have a clearer view of who to trade with in the future.” Bill was careful to keep up at least part of his front. It appeared that in times of uncertainty such as these, Ford opted to trust the one person who had looked out for him, which was the demon. It was a relief because he truly did not want to lose the mage. Attraction was annoying and unexpected, but he couldn’t fully deny it. The king sighed deeply and removed himself from the room, locking it behind him. Hopefully over time, he would be able to take away the anger over the original betrayal, and maybe have someone by his side. Although, there was another alluring option. After all, he had failed to mention anything about his brother, or king Stanford. This was on purpose. He didn’t want to say anything that might lead Ford to think it was Bill’s fault they got tilted out of their own dimension, even if it definitely was. While descending the spiral staircase, he stopped for a bit to look out the window, to the west. Somewhere over there was his kingdom of birth. The place he had once hoped to rule over. Instead, he had Gravity Falls now. But the presence of his brother complicated things a lot. He couldn’t help but wonder what options he had. Especially with such a fine man on the throne.

Bill shook that thought for now. He had more urgent matters to tend to. Being king brought many responsibilities. Tasks he had been prepared for, growing up as the son of a king, he knew how heavy a crown could weigh. How much of a burden the wellbeing of a kingdom could be. It was a responsibility he had been prepared for his entire life, even after he’d been old enough to know the throne would go to his brother, not him. All because of a few minutes difference. There should have been a kind of regulation in case twins were born. Some sort of rule to avoid this kind of injustice. It had been a matter of coincidence. They had been born so little apart. It might as well have been the other way around. Will was useful, in his own way. Bill would have likely kept his brother around, had he become king. Even if it had just been because people reacted well to Blue. But for some reason Will had never expressed even the slightest interest in sharing some of his privileges with his yellow twin, but selfishly kept everything to himself. Bill gripped the windowsill tightly for a second before descending the stairs further and returning to the throne room. This was not the time to focus on that. Not again. Soon he would pay a visit to his birth kingdom, and then it was the time to throw all the injustice in his brother’s face. Right now, he had to face the lords of his own kingdom and make sure they were on his side. That they would not return to their old habits of rivalling eachother and make a chaos of the lands. He had to properly unite the different districts of his kingdom and get it functional again. They he would have time for proper schemes and tricks. After all, Bill had never been one to just innocently be king. He would make sure he would be known in history. Yes, he would take care of his people. Those who were loyal to him at least. Those who were not under his care, they would know what he could do. But before that, he needed a solid base.

Thank the Axolotl he had already started on that. Most of the lords had been prepared for the shockwave to come, and those were the first to arrive at the castle to pledge loyalty to their new ruler. Bill seated himself on his throne and watched as the servants cleaned the final rubble out of the space. The rest of the castle would follow soon, but this room was the most important one at the moment, because it was where he would receive his guests. And they were starting to arrive, so it was right on time too. The demon king gave permission to let them in, making himself comfortable. Time to get on with the more practical matters on hand. A smile formed on his lips as he saw the cloaked men enter the room and take a knee in a straight line in front of him. Their heads respectfully lowered, paying proper tribute to their new ruler. Bill was very happy with how well they picked up the habit, despite not being used to having a proper king for several years. At least there was one thing he would not have to remind the people of. Their natural reaction was to submit to a new monarch, and that pleased him greatly. So when he was not expecting more to arrive soon, he let the servants close the doors to give them a moment of privacy. This was the group most important to have on his side. These were the lords he had spoken to over the years of the council, the ones most aware of his true nature. Several of them had deals in place with him that would ensure their loyalty to him in a slightly more pressing matter if it became necessary, but he wasn’t expecting it.

Bill rose from his throne and the lords looked up. Some seemed nervous, but most of them just waited for what he had to say. “My friends.” The king started, and a collective sigh of relief escaped the humans in front of him. “You have answered so fast. You could hardly have arrived here sooner. I am glad that all of you have stayed true to your words to follow me when the day would come, I would replace the dysfunctional council with something much better.” He continued, slowly starting to walk down the line of collected lords, studying them. “Rise now. We have better things to do that kneel on a cold floor.” Bill gave them a moment to get to their feet while he returned to his throne. Oh, he was happy with them. “I have approached each and every single one of you over the past years. All of you have promised me the same thing, independently from one another. Now that the time has finally come, it should not surprise you that there will be some changes in how things go in the kingdom, which is now mine to rule.” He paused once more, not wanting to rush anything with his people. They deserved a moment to take in the fact things were not like before. “For years I have watched over you rival against one another. Trying to prove your lands should be of greater significance. None of you knew that you were all on the same side. My side, to be exact. Why have I not told you? Because it was needed for the sake of keeping this alliance hidden until the day came that I would strike. Now that it has, I am ending all rivalries and reminding you that you no longer need to fight for the attention of the council. There is only me now, and I have seen you. I know you are all important, and I will not forget your pledge of loyalty. If I still find schemes happening between the different counties, I will not hesitate to put a very permanent end to it.”

That was that, out of the way. Now it was time to make sure they would be too busy to start their foolish feuds again. “Northwest?” The king needed to secure his borders first and foremost. The blond man looked up. “I heard your son spends a lot of time in the forest on the border of the kingdom?” The man nodded and Bill smiled. “Good. Make sure he is trained, make sure he knows the woods like no other. Keep an eye on the vigilantes you mentioned to me before, steer them away from the fields and deeper into the woods. We have new neighbours, and I know for a fact there is a sizeable castle not too far away from the forest on that side.” The king didn’t care if there were thieves in the forest, as long as they bothered his brother as much as they bothered him. The lord obeyed with a simple nod. “Good. Now, I want all of you to gather as much information about all of our new neighbours as you can. Trade, not only goods, but gossip. Send your clerks to copy books of their libraries so we learn their histories. I want us to become a full kingdom of this world. Because as you might have noticed, we were tilted out of our home dimension, and planted in a new one. This brings issues I had not expected, but it also gives us more freedom.” Bill had already started planning this the moment he noticed Will’s presence. “The dimension we are in now has been much more used to magic than the one we left behind. This means trading can be done more freely, powers don’t have to be hidden as much, and we do not have to hide what we are anymore. Still, I want all of you to guard the more sensitive secrets as well as you have done before. Our trading partners have the right to know us, but they do not need to know everything.” The lords nodded, and Bill dismissed most of them.

Northwest was among the ones who were left, along with lord Strange, lord Gleeful, and lord Befufftlefumpter. This last one oversaw the lands where the house was that Ford and Fidds had lived in during their research on the magic of the kingdom. He most likely knew more of the whereabouts of the amulet maker. Bill turned to him first. “Are we any closer to finding the men responsible for the situation?” He asked, and the elder lord bowed lightly. “We have one of them. Or rather, people have found him. He has regained consciousness not long before I received the word it was time to leave for the castle.” He spoke up, and Bill nodded. He had hoped for that. “I was informed that one of them was found. It is unfortunate that it is only the assistant. The one invited by the person who started this. I was temporarily out due to the impact myself, and I do not know what has become of him. I do know that he is not dead, as the beam would have left the body, and there was simply no trace of him.” Bill spoke thoughtfully, hiding his true emotions. It was better if they kept an eye out for Ford, because it was more likely they would miss other things happening they might otherwise find strange. The lord nodded. “What do I do with the one we did find? After all, they killed the full council. No matter how well it turned out for us, it is still murder.” He asked, but the king raised his hand. “Enough, lord Befufftlefumpter. You have ruled over your lands for many years, and I do take notice of that experience. But the two did not mean to kill the full council. They were here for research and it has backfired on them. So, when the man has recovered, I want you to send him to the castle, so I can speak with him myself.”

Bill then ignored the vague muttering that came from the elderly lord and turned to lord Strange instead. “Your eldest has brought Ford Pines to the kingdom and assisted him on more than one occasion I was told.” The lord gave a nod. “Yes, your majesty, he has.” Lord Strange had been hesitant to accept Bill’s offer, but his lands were quite close to the castle, and he had seen it was better for everyone if the council was replaced, which eventually made him give in. Bill was aware of the doubts the man had and was determined to put those to rest as quickly as possible. “The gift your family is known for being very useful when it comes to diplomacy. And the lands you oversee nearly include the direct grounds of the castle, do they not?” He tapped the armrest of his throne, trying to decide on the best way to voice all of this. Lord Strange nodded, a serious look on his face. He was tensed, which was understandable. The man was not quite sure if he trusted the new demon king. But Bill was planning to take care of his people, and so far, lord Strange was one of them. “The council were not the only people wiped out by the blast. Several of the people who worked in the castle have perished as well, either of shock or directly due to the beam. I will expand your lands to oversee those around my castle, and I will demand part of your time to negotiate with the less willing neighbouring kingdoms. For this addition in your responsibilities, you will of course be compensated. Your son is one of the few people who don’t possess magic of their own, but under my rule he will not be a second-class citizen. I see great potential in the abilities he does have, and I will see to it that he becomes less bitter towards those who sadly mistreated him in the past, due to circumstances beyond his own fault.” Yes, Bill was a smooth talker at times. But he did mean it, even if it was solely for his own gain. The violent take over could very well spark outrage in some groups, and he wanted to avoid having a fast messenger turn against him.

Lord Gleeful was next. The main reason this lord was kept around was for additional information on him. Bill suspected it wasn’t coincidence the man Will married looked exactly like Ford but held a different last name. This man’s last name. There were parallels he could see coming from miles away. But a quick interrogation did not bring up much he could work with, although he did take note of the Charm speak, he could hear. Not very good for diplomacy because the effect did not linger, but it could explain why Will had fallen head over heels to the point he gave up his throne. And something to keep in mind when he would meet Stanford Gleeful again. He wasn’t immune to all magic after all, and he would prefer to stay in control over his own brain while he was at a place where he had no access to his powers. The existence of the Lord made him wonder if there was a Pines family in Will’s kingdom. He did not recall all the lords anymore; it had been a while and names changed at times. Perhaps there wasn’t. After all, Ford had not been native to Gravity Falls, and it would be possible there was no counterpart of this lord. Not everyone would have a direct equal. He would have remembered a lord Strange from back home if there had been one. So far, nothing very outstanding though, and Bill was vaguely disappointed. Still, he let the lord know to keep delivering the magic ingredients he had been providing for years now. It was good that way, and the king did not want to break a system that worked fine.

That left him with lord Northwest. A man who had been another plan, instead of the council this man had a claim on the throne. But not many of the people had been in favour of it, and it had never become reality. Lord Northwest was a descendant of one of the oldest families in Gravity Falls though, and while their magic had drastically declined over the generations, they made up for it in knowledge of the history, and where things were covered up. And that was something Bill was very interested in, so he took his time questioning lord Northwest over things he should know. The man, who had been very willing to let Bill take over the kingdom and start his reign, answered them all honestly, but admitted he would have to search the Archives for certainty. The Northwest family was known to maintain the archives, where everything about the kingdom ever was stored away in case it became relevant. The demon king though about that for a while and dismissed the lords, realizing he would have to pay a visit to those archives himself soon. There was something that suddenly bothered him, a nagging feeling that something was wrong, something he missed. He did not quite know. Then he realized he forgot to tell lord Gleeful to have a team remove the large yellow crystal from the caves. After all, those were on his lands, and Bill wanted that crystal in the castle, where it would be much more useful to him than there in the cave. He told a servant to inform the lord of this, then ordered everyone else he could see to continue what they were doing. The castle had to be in order as quickly as possible.


End file.
